Die for my country today? Not likely
Die for my country today? Not likely
Bagimu negeri, jiwa raga kami (For you, beloved country, our body
and soul). It used to be oh-so noble to die for one's country. At
least, that was what I learned from my late grandmother and my
father.
My grandmother often told us stories of how our grandfather
joined the war against the Dutch for the country's independence.
One day in the 1940s, the Dutch managed to capture him and took
him away, and to this day we don't know what happened to him.
Grandma spoke of grandpa with pride, telling us of the
struggle for independence in such a way that we felt proud our
grandpa was among those guerrilla fighters who gave their lives
for the country.
Father, too, told us of the Independence War with such fervor
that sometimes we felt we could hear the bullets hissing around
us, making us huddle involuntarily around him in fear and duck
our heads to avoid being hit. Like grandma, he spoke of being
part of the war with pride.
Back then, going to war -- being part of the struggle for the
country's independence, even to give one's life for the nation --
seemed an honorable cause. Everybody sang that song Bagimu Negeri
and meant it, each in their own way, big and small, militarily or
otherwise.
Things are different now. Everywhere in the world, human
rights and peace groups oppose the use of force in settling
disputes. "Human rights" is the key term, much feared and
revered, depending on where one stands.
The war in Aceh has divided the nation into those who believe
the war is necessary to maintain the country's sovereignty and
others who insist that the problem must be solved through
peaceful means.
Indonesian soldiers, meanwhile, are torn between carrying out
their duty -- keeping the pledge to sacrifice their lives for the
nation -- and the fear of being accused, even convicted, of human
rights abuses. This is especially because the National Commission
on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and other rights activists have
continued their campaign against the war in Aceh and made an all-
out effort to force the court-martial of erring troops.
Rights groups' opposition to the war against Acehnese
separatist rebels has only served to augment the trauma among
Indonesia's soldiers of the risk of wearing the uniform,
particularly given the East Timor experience. The East Timor
debacle not only humiliated them, but resulted in some of them
being convicted as human rights abusers. It was a tragic end to
what started as a call to arms to defend the country's
sovereignty, to perform a state duty.
War is ugly, and it is everyone's wish that there was no such
thing as war. But that is wishful thinking. Even in our daily
lives, conflicts occur -- at home, in the workplace, on the
streets. Aren't we glad we are not armed and are therefore spared
the temptation of resorting to force in settling disputes at home
and in the workplace?
The troops in Aceh are risking their lives for the sake of the
nation for less than the monthly salary of around Rp 700,000
(US$84) of the average Indonesian laborer. They are performing a
state duty, which is to crush the armed rebellion.
One may argue that it is their choice and they have to live
with the consequences. Right.
That's why I'm glad I'm not a soldier. I would never lay down
my life for a nation that pays its soldiers a pittance and then
demands that troops perform professionally. I would never risk my
life for a nation whose government fails to meet its obligations
to provide adequate training for its troops.
What can you expect from a nation whose armed forces allocates
each soldier 50 bullets a year for training, not to mention the
lack of other basic training and support facilities? Why, if I
were a soldier, I would desert and say to my fellow countrymen:
I'm through, you guys better take care of yourselves.
-- Sheila Putri