Budget for militia

Budget for militia

On Dec. 23, 1998, the media printed an announcement by
Information Minister Muhammad Yunus that for a militia of 40,000
men, a budget of Rp 300 billion has been reserved. On average,
the cost will be Rp 7,500,000 per head.

This amount includes costs for the initial selection in
January 1999 and training from February to April. In May 1999 the
"civilian troops" will be ready for operations.

If the training period requires the highest cost compared to
the initial selection and the inauguration, the training will
cost Rp 1,750,000 to Rp 2,000,000 per head per month.

In this era of openness and economic turmoil, also considering
that many people are in doubt about the necessity of the militia,
the House of Representatives should immediately ask for a
complete and detailed explanation from the government in order to
assess whether the budget should be allocated. In my opinion, the
cost is relatively high because the militia can be recruited
among local people.

I hope this suggestion will receive a positive response from
the related agencies.

WISDARMANTO G.S.

Bogor, West Java