Highly protested student regiments to stay: Minister<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The much protested university student regiments
\nwill be retained but their existence will be reviewed in view of
\nthe controversy, the government said yesterday.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and Security
\nSoesilo Soedarman convened a special meeting with ministers under
\nhis charge at his office yesterday to discuss the future of the
\nregiments, popularly known as Resimen Mahasiswa or Menwa for
\nshort.<\/p>\n
The meeting concluded that the regiment is still necessary,
\n\"although reviews need to be made on the government regulation
\nwhich oversees their existence\", said a statement issued after
\nthe meeting.<\/p>\n
The recruitment process, training, line of command and the
\nduty, purpose and activities of Menwa will all be reviewed.<\/p>\n
The meeting was attended by Ministers of Home Affairs Moch.
\nYogie S.M., Defense and Security Gen. Edi Sudradjat, Education
\nand Culture Wardiman Djojonegoro, State Minister of
\nAdministrative Reforms T.B. Silalahi, Armed Forces Chief Feisal
\nTanjung and officials of the State Intelligence Coordinating
\nAgency and the National Resilience Institute.<\/p>\n
The meeting commissioned a working group to review the 1978
\njoint decree on Menwa and present its report by the end of this
\nmonth so the new regulation can be implemented in time for the
\n1995-1996 academic year.<\/p>\n
Menwa was established by joint decree by the ministers of
\ndefense and security, education and culture and home affairs. Its
\nexistence is seen as part and parcel of the national total
\npeople's defense concept.<\/p>\n
The reputation of Menwa has been marred lately as certain
\nmembers from the regiments throughout the country have acted in
\nbehavior considered \"excessive\", \"arrogant\" and even \"more
\nmilitary-like than the army\" by their fellow students.<\/p>\n
Brawls<\/p>\n
Menwa members have been involved in brawls at several
\nuniversities with fellow students who are not members of the
\nregiment. The most recent brawls occurred in Jakarta's National
\nUniversity and Surabaya's 17 Augustus 1945 University.<\/p>\n
Minister Wardiman, in response to concerned calls from House
\nmembers several months ago, said such excessive actions should be
\ndealt with on a case by case basis.<\/p>\n
As the ministers yesterday met to review the future of Menwa,
\nstudents in Semarang and Bandung held protests demanding that the
\ngovernment dismantle the regiments once and for all.<\/p>\n
In Semarang, 200 students held a rally at the State Institute
\nfor Islamic Studies (IAIN), rejecting the presence of Menwa in
\ntheir campus.<\/p>\n
They said Menwa activities were now no longer scientific but
\nwere instead physically abusive.<\/p>\n
Menwa's actions, the protesters said, have \"swept the campus
\nwith blood\". The protesters demanded for a dismantling of Menwa
\nin all universities, the revocation of the joint government
\nregulation on Menwa and trials on student regiment members
\ninvolved in criminal actions.<\/p>\n
In Bandung, hundreds of students from universities around the
\narea yesterday joined in a similar protest on the campus grounds
\nof the Sunan Gunung Djati IAIN.<\/p>\n
Some 10 students took turns speaking in front of the group to
\nexplain the abusive treatment they have received from Menwa
\nmembers.<\/p>\n
Although they insisted they did not ask student regiments to
\nbe repealed, they requested \"several corrections so Menwa members
\ndo not feel they have power over their fellow students\".
\n(har\/pet\/pwn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/highly-protested-student-regiments-to-stay-minister-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}