Military-civilian dichotomy

Once in a while, I criticize college students for using narrow dichotomies like student-people, police-campus, indigenous- nonindigenous, settler-inhabitant or, more controversially, military-civilian, religious-national, expert-layman and even disabled-healthy.

If they have to make such divisions, for easy communication I would like to suggest more operational words such as the dichotomies of competent-incompetent, experienced-inexperienced, logical-illogical and corrupt-clean.

However, I was almost totally disheartened when I heard Gen. (ret) Eddy Sudrajat, chairman of the Indonesian Retired Servicemen Association, allow his members to choose any vice presidential candidate, as long as the candidate came from the military.

Now let us see which will prevail in a fight: Common sense versus pseudo-solidarity, primordial urges versus competence, tribal concepts versus transcendence, exclusivism versus nationalism, politicking versus education, brawn versus brains, uniformity versus creativity.

My only remaining confidence lies in the integrity of Ali Sadikin, a retired general who has warned soldiers against becoming trapped in practical politics. Soldiers are judged by their swords, generals by their words.

SARTONO MUKADIS Jakarta