Puan Offers Condolences for Five SPPI Deaths, Backs Managerial Training Focus
House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker Puan Maharani has offered her condolences over the deaths of five participants of the Sarjana Penggerak Pembangunan Indonesia (SPPI) programme, part of the Koperasi Desa Merah Putih (KDMP) and Koperasi Nelayan Merah Putih (KNMP) schemes, during basic military training. Puan expressed hope that such an incident would not be repeated.
“First of all, we in the DPR express our deepest condolences regarding the casualties during the implementation of the activity. And this must not happen again,” Puan told reporters at the DPR building in Senayan, Jakarta, on Tuesday.
Puan supports a comprehensive evaluation of the training process for prospective managers. She encouraged that the selection process be focused on managerial training in line with field requirements.
“An evaluation has been carried out, and we hope it is an evaluation that can be implemented comprehensively. The series of activities should ideally focus more on the managerial aspect to ensure implementation meets expectations,” Puan stated.
The chair of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) central board also affirmed that she would follow up on the results of the evaluation of the prospective manager training.
“So the evaluation is comprehensive, and we will see what evaluations have been and will be carried out. We will follow up later. We will see first,” she said.
The Ministry of Defence has halted the basic military training for SPPI participants who are prospective managers of the KDKMP. The training has been changed to state defence and managerial training.
“The Ministry of Defence is adjusting the activity approach. The terminology and implementation of activities are now directed towards state defence and managerial preparation training, no longer basic military training,” said Brigadier General Rico Ricardo Sirait, Head of the Defence Information Bureau at the Ministry of Defence’s Secretariat General, as reported by Antara on Tuesday.
The change was made after Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin evaluated the learning system following the incident in which five training participants died. Rico confirmed that physical activities and training related to military exercises would be reduced.
“With this adjustment, tactical and technical military activities are reduced, including shooting activities, which are no longer part of the current training,” Rico said.
“The focus of activities is directed towards building discipline, character, leadership, cooperation, responsibility, national insight, and the managerial readiness of participants as prospective cooperative managers,” he added.