Don't worry about 'civilian militias'<\/p>\n
MAGELANG, Central Java (JP): Coordinating Minister for
\nPolitical Affairs and Security Feisal Tanjung dismissed on
\nThursday concerns over the government plan to create an armed
\ncivilian militia.<\/p>\n
Feisal, however, failed to give a clear answer to suggestions
\nthat trained armed civilians might be prone to act irresponsibly.<\/p>\n
\"It would not be a problem if they (the civilian militia) are
\narmed,\" Feisal said.<\/p>\n
Feisal was in Magelang on Thursday along with 69 other
\ngenerals to attend the official ceremony to mark their retirement
\nfrom the Armed Forces at the military academy here.<\/p>\n
Feisal also confirmed the government planned to recruit
\ncivilians to back up security forces during the coming election
\nnext June.<\/p>\n
He said the recruitment of civilians would be co-organized by
\nthe defense ministry and the National Police.<\/p>\n
\"The technical matters will be handled by the police. They
\nwill train these civilians,\" Feisal said.<\/p>\n
He said the government would recruit about 40,000 people in
\nthe first phase.<\/p>\n
\"The security forces would not be able to handle the situation
\nas there are thousands of islands here and the ratio between the
\nsecurity forces and the people are far from ideal,\" Feisal said
\nadding that the ratio at present was 1:1,200.<\/p>\n
The ideal ratio, he said, was 1:350.<\/p>\n
Feisal said the recruitment was based on the 1982 law on
\ndefense and security which justifies the involvement of civilians
\nin defense and security.<\/p>\n
Earlier, Moslem leader Abdurrahman Wahid asked Minister of
\nDefense and Security\/Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto in
\nJakarta about reports that the Armed Forces (ABRI) planned to
\nform civilian militia. In their meeting on Wednesday, he also
\nexpressed his concern that those who were against moderate groups
\nin society would take advantage of the plan.<\/p>\n
Wiranto confirmed the plan to establish an unarmed civilian
\nmilitia, pointing out the police were understaffed to handle the
\ncountry's 203 million people. Ideally, an additional 70,000
\nunarmed but uniformed security personnel were needed, he said.<\/p>\n
However, he allayed Abdurrahman's concern by saying the
\nmilitia would not be trained by those who are against the
\nmoderate as Abdurrahman put it.<\/p>\n
Former vice president Try Sutrisno, who was also present in
\nMagelang on Thursday, backed the plan, saying that the civilian
\nmilitia was needed to police the \"unpredictable situation\".<\/p>\n
Wiranto faced sharp public criticism last month when the
\nmilitary mobilized 125,000 untrained civilians to help secure the
\nSpecial Session of the People's Consultative Assembly.<\/p>\n
In recent months Indonesia has been rocked by violent unrest,
\nincluding clashes between troops and students, and religious and
\neconomic riots that have damaged scores of places of worship.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman, popularly known as Gus Dur, warned that the
\nrecent spate of violence in various cities, pitting religious and
\nethnic groups against one another, as well as violent student
\nprotests, were indications of a looming social revolution.<\/p>\n
Prabowo<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Lt. Gen. Prabowo Subianto, the son-in-law of former
\npresident Soeharto discharged from the army for his role in the
\nkidnapping and torture of activists, failed to turn up at the
\nretirement ceremony.<\/p>\n
Prabowo was honorably discharged by a presidential decree
\ndated Nov. 20 following a decision by Wiranto in August.<\/p>\n
The honorable discharge meant he would be retired prematurely.<\/p>\n
Wiranto's decision was taken after a military council
\nconcluded Prabowo was involved in the abduction and torture of
\nseveral activists earlier in the year.<\/p>\n
Other senior officers who were retirement included Minister of
\nHome Affairs Lt. Gen. Syarwan Hamid, the secretary-general of the
\ndefense ministry, Lt. Gen. Soeyono, and former ABRI chief of
\ngeneral affairs Lt. Gen. Tarub. (44\/byg)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/dont-worry-about-civilian-militias-1447893297",
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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