Defence Ministry: SPPI Military Training Not to Create Soldiers, but to Instil Discipline

The Ministry of Defence has stated that the basic military training process for participants of the Sarjana Penggerak Pembangunan Indonesia (SPPI) programme for the Village Cooperative and Fishermen’s Village is not aimed at forming soldiers or military members, but rather at instilling character, discipline, and leadership. ‘We emphasise that this activity is not intended to turn participants into soldiers or military members. The participants remain in their civilian professions and assignments as prospective managers of the Village Cooperative and Fishermen’s Village,’ said the Head of the Ministry of Defence’s Human Resources Development Agency, Major General TNI Ketut Gede Wetan Pastia, during a press conference in Jakarta on Saturday. ‘This state defence and managerial training is directed at shaping character, discipline, leadership, integrity, cooperation, responsibility, professionalism, the ability to work under pressure, and a spirit of dedication to the community,’ he added. Ketut explained that the correlation between this activity and national defence lies in the strategic role of the cooperatives in strengthening the people’s economy, which is a part of national resilience. ‘Therefore, the formation of prospective cooperative managers who have character, integrity, discipline, and a leadership spirit is an important part of supporting national development and national defence in a broad sense,’ he said. He added that the material for instilling discipline includes physical activities and basic military exercises such as callisthenics, marching, parade drills, and military courtesy regulations. After this basic material, the SPPI candidates will proceed to receive material from the Ministry of Cooperatives and the Ministry of Marine Affairs. Previously, five SPPI participants died while undergoing basic military training at TNI educational units. The five victims died from various health conditions, ranging from heat stroke to tuberculosis and cardiac arrest. The fifth victim was Nola Diasari from the State Defence Education Unit in Kalimantan, who died on Friday.