Ruffian student regiments backed

Ruffian student regiments backed

By Prapti Widinugraheni

JAKARTA (JP): University student regiments, whose reputation
has recently been marred by the ruffian behavior of some of its
members, will continue to exist because they are seen as a vital
part of the overall campaign for greater national discipline.

University administrators and government officials alike are
defending the regiments, known as Menwa and similar to American
ROTC groups, stressing that any excessive behavior should be
dealt with on a case by case basis.

But it is precisely these excesses that have made the
regiments unpopular among non-member students.

Newspaper clippings documenting the alleged abuses by Menwa
personnel were presented by members of the Commission IX of the
House of Representatives to Minister of Education and Culture
Wardiman Djojonegoro on Monday.

The press reports have led legislators to question the
effectiveness of the campus regiments. They feared that Menwa
members tend to abuse the strength and expertise they have gained
from military training.

Wardiman admitted that some Menwa members have a tendency to
"over-react" but said that this was no reason to end the program.

"Don't use the excessive behavior of some regiment members as
grounds for changing the system. The existence of student
regiments is necessary to strengthen patriotism," Wardiman said.

Membership in Menwa is voluntary and the military training and
education is not part of the university's curriculum.

The government can call for compulsory military service under
a 1988 national defense law but has refrained from imposing it so
far, largely because of the huge costs involved.

The student regiment scheme introduced at campuses is partly
seen as an attempt to bolster the defense force under the total
people defense (Hankamrata) concept.

Many government officials and university administrators view
military service as one way of increasing discipline, which they
feel the nation sorely lacks.

Unpopularity

This is also the reason why university administrators
supported Wardiman's view that the program be retained despite
its unpopularity among some of the students.

They said the regiment is an important means of teaching
discipline and enforcing law inside the campus grounds.

Idik Sulaeman, Trisakti University's deputy rector for student
affairs said Menwa is still crucial as the "stabilizer and
activator" of campus activities.

Idik admitted that there have been cases when regiment members
threw around their weight too much.

"There is no need to review their existence on campus ... what
they have to understand is that the only difference between them
and other students organizations is their greater sense of
discipline," he told The Jakarta Post.

Anggodo, a former member of the student regiment at the Jakar
ta Institute for Teacher Training and Education (IKIP), said such
iron-fisted actions from regiment members were sometimes
necessary because "in many cases Menwa is required to take strict
actions".

Trisakti, after observing "the arrogant attitude of some
regiment members" two years ago, began monitoring the activities
of regiment members on a routine basis through a special council
consisting of university administrators, regiment alumni and
regiment leaders, Idik said.

The council, he said, has the responsibility to evaluate,
correct and criticize regiment members whose attitudes tend to be
"more army-like than the army".

He admitted the idea to establish the council came after an
incident which occurred three years ago involving the retaliatory
kidnapping and the brutal treatment of anti-Menwa students.

"Menwa is actually just another student organization under the
coordination of the student senate," he pointed out.

Umar Mansyur, University of Indonesia's deputy rector for
student affairs, emphasized the importance of telling regiment
members that they are not university "security guards."

Student's choice

Umar agreed there was no need to review the existence of Menwa
on campus. He said regiment members have to be reminded
constantly that "they are not different from other students just
because they wear military gear and undergo military training".

"If regiment members understand this, there will be fewer
cases of excesses and overacting." He added that it is the
student's choice to join the activity and is therefore not up to
the university to decide on whether Menwa activities were
necessary or not.

According to Umar, the most urgent matter at hand now is for
regiment members, regiment leaders and university officials to
agree on the role of Menwa on campus.

Anggodo admitted that being a member of the regiment made some
feel special. "Some students considered us to be different from
the others ... and so we tend to consider ourselves as an
exclusive group," he said.

Anggodo argued that Menwa abuses should be judged case by case
since it all depends on "the person's individual attitude." Any
misunderstandings or abuses that may have occurred, he said,
mostly came as a result of poor communication between Menwa
members and other student organizations.

Anggodo agreed to review Menwa activities but did not see any
need for them to be abolished.

In order to become a member of the student regiment, a student
must go through a series of basic military courses on and off the
campus grounds and also be trained by the army.

"Its not easy to earn a green army uniform and a purple beret
you know...," he said referring to the colors of Menwa.