Muhammadiyah Questions Plan for Military Cadets to Train at 'Sekolah Rakyat'

Muhammadiyah Central Chairman Haedar Nashir has raised concerns over a plan by the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Defence to deploy cadets from the Military Academy (Akmil) to train students in the Sekolah Rakyat (People’s Schools) programme. Haedar urged all parties to refer back to the national constitution. “I believe if we return to the basic concept of the law, and also the spirit of Indonesia’s struggle and its journey, the military has its place, civilians have their place, and there is unity between these two places,” Haedar said on the sidelines of the inauguration of Muhammadiyah Sapen Universal School (MSUS) in Yogyakarta.

Haedar stressed that militarisation in various aspects of life should not occur. He also rejected the civilianisation of areas that are specifically the function of the military. Therefore, Haedar said, what the nation needs most is an integrated and dualistic policy formulation. To realise the right policy, Haedar offered a national development approach based on moderate principles, considering that Pancasila is essentially a moderate ideology. He explained that if society examines the preamble to the body of the Constitution, the core substance is very moderate, which is in harmony with the character of the Indonesian people who are also moderate. “So if we once take extreme approaches, it will not last long,” he said.

To prevent the emergence of extreme policies, Haedar emphasised the urgency of opening doors for dialogue and discussion to accommodate input from various parties. Despite offering critical notes on the discourse from the Ministry of Social Affairs, Haedar asked the public not to rush to judge the policy plan. “But we also should not immediately claim that the plan for military education in Sekolah Rakyat is militarisation; place things in their proper place,” he said.

Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf previously explained that the involvement of cadets in the school orientation period was a direct directive from President Prabowo Subianto. In its implementation, around 1,000 Military Academy cadets will be deployed during the orientation period for the Sekolah Rakyat, which will be held from 1 to 7 August 2026. A total of 166 Sekolah Rakyat, which will begin operating in the 2026/2027 academic year, will be the placement locations, with each school planned to receive assistance from at least five active military cadets.