DPR Commission XIII: Military Basic Training Must Be Evaluated, Not Scrapped

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Deputy Chairman of Commission XIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), Sugiat Santoso, stated that basic military training (Latsarmil) for participants of the Indonesia Development Driver Bachelor’s programme (SPPI) for the Merah Putih Village/Sub-district Cooperative (KDKMP) and Merah Putih Fishing Village (KNMP) programmes must be evaluated, without removing the programme’s overarching objectives.

He also expressed his condolences regarding the deaths of several Latsarmil participants involved in the programme. According to him, the safety of participants must be the top priority in the implementation of every government programme.

“An evaluation is necessary to ensure that safety standards, supervision, and programme implementation governance are improved so that similar incidents do not recur,” Sugiat said in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He noted that improvements are needed across all aspects of programme administration, ranging from planning and implementation to the oversight system. Every government programme, he added, must operate professionally with robust standards, risk mitigation, and field supervision.

“This needs to begin with the data collection and assessment of the condition of prospective participants before they participate in the activities,” he said.

Therefore, he requested that the incident should not obscure the strategic objectives of the KDKMP or KNMP, which are strategic programmes of the President aimed at strengthening the village economy, increasing community welfare, and driving people’s economic independence.

“This programme must continue because its benefits to the community are immense,” he said.

According to him, what needs to be improved is the implementation mechanism and governance, rather than halting a programme designed to enhance public welfare.

“The spirit of building villages, strengthening cooperatives, and improving the welfare of fishermen must not stop. On the contrary, we must ensure that the entire series of programmes is implemented with higher safety standards and increasingly better governance,” he concluded.