State must care for soldiers: General

State must care for soldiers: General

PADANG, West Sumatra: The chief of the Bukit Barisan Military
Command, Maj. Gen. IG Purnawa, said the nation should not demand
too much of its soldiers as long as their basic needs are not
being met.

"It's ridiculous to expect TNI (Indonesian Military) to be
professional if the state does not satisfy the needs of its
soldiers in carrying out their duties," Purnawa said here on
Saturday.

"Apart from their welfare, (soldiers) are also given equipment
which is minimal and obsolete, even to the point that we have
weapons that fail to fire," he said as quoted by Antara, adding
that the state, with the support of the people, must make a
commitment to improving the welfare of soldiers. (mds)