Dodging the draft<\/p>\n
Born of a long, bloody revolution which taxed immeasurable
\nsacrifice, it is no wonder that the words "war" and "struggle"
\nare etched into the fables of Indonesian nationalism.<\/p>\n
The sacrifices that our forefathers endured to create this
\nnation should forever be remembered. It is the constitutional and
\ninherent duty of citizens to defend this hard earned sovereignty.
\nThere is no question of that.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, since independence a kind of militaristic vogue
\nhas colored civilian life, despite a near-complete absence of
\nexternal adversaries.<\/p>\n
It's time to cease such ways of thinking. The wars some may
\nthink we're still fighting were all over a long time ago. The
\nrevolution is over!<\/p>\n
The glory of tomorrow does not lay in the arrogance of might
\nor coercive power. Our struggle now is to liberate the nation
\nfrom hunger, ignorance and suppression.<\/p>\n
Indonesia should still be proud to have an effective armed
\nforce without military might itself having to become the
\ncenterpiece of the nation's pride.<\/p>\n
That is why we view with anxiety the introduction of a bill
\nthat could, in a few years time, draft citizens aged between 18
\nand 45 into the military reserves.<\/p>\n
We question the need for mandatory military service given the
\nabsence of any perceivable external threat. It is almost
\nimpossible to imagine that our neighbors in Southeast Asia, Papua
\nNew Guinea, Timor Leste or Australia, would seek to attack
\nIndonesia in the foreseeable future. Regional diplomatic
\narrangements in place ensure that the advent of open conflict
\nbetween nations in the region is highly unlikely.<\/p>\n
Mandatory military service in a time of no apparent threat
\nwould only result in undedicated servicemen who would eat away at
\nthe military's core professionalism by continuously questioning
\ntheir commanders.<\/p>\n
If the Indonesian Military (TNI) strongly believes that it
\nneeds to beef-up its manpower, we suggest a Reserves Corps
\ncomprised of volunteers -- part-time soldiers -- who can be
\ncalled-up for active duty for training or deployment.<\/p>\n
For a military that is always complaining of budget
\nconstraints, the cost of a limited reserves force would be lower
\nthan that of a perpetually rotating draft. This also allows
\nresources to be allocated into buying new equipment and improving
\ntraining.<\/p>\n
Mandatory service means new recruits would have to be trained
\nevery year to replace those who leave. Furthermore the draft
\nsystem fails to provide the critical skills that only come with
\nyears of training and experience.<\/p>\n
The end result would be a less well-trained yet costly army.<\/p>\n
Some may argue that military training is beneficial to instill
\ndiscipline; the kind of discipline required for a modern
\nindustrial nation.<\/p>\n
South Korea and Singapore -- countries which impose mandatory
\nmilitary service -- have been cited as examples in which the
\nskill sets acquired through military training have become assets
\nin their country's leap to industrialization.<\/p>\n
We agree that discipline is a particular characteristic that
\nmany Indonesians sorely lack.<\/p>\n
But the if the price for discipline is the militarization of
\nsociety, then the country best seek other alternatives.<\/p>\n
For much of the past three decades, our military has been used
\nagainst its own people. There have been far too many instances
\nwhere innocent civilians have become the targets of military
\nwrath.<\/p>\n
Indonesia does not have clear prohibitions, such as those in
\nthe United States, that forbids the use of the military on its
\nown soil. There are also questions on whether the military, the
\nArmy in particular, has truly accepted its exclusive role in the
\ndefense domain and forsaken its desire to intrude into internal
\npolitical and security issues.<\/p>\n
One can understand the dilemma faced by a conscript army if,
\nfor example, it were deployed to Aceh or Papua. The issue of
\nmandatory military service is not only socially divisive; it
\ncould potentially threaten national unity.<\/p>\n
Rejecting military service does not imply a lack of
\npatriotism. If the Indonesian state was under external threat,
\nmillions would instinctively rush to the frontlines as they did
\nduring the war of independence.<\/p>\n
On the contrary, it is the logic of compulsory military
\nservice with its forced patriotism and militarist indoctrination
\nthat violates the nation's yearning to create a vibrant, just and
\ncivilized society.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/dodging-the-draft-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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