The military and the nation's future

The military and the nation's future

From Media Indonesia

The idea of handing over the administration to the military, in the event of bringing about fast-tracked changes, is not a popular one. The Indonesian Military (TNI) is really at a crossroads. A little less cautious, and they will be really jeopardized. And the people (eventually) will become the garbage bin of the rioters, who are represented by leftists with a perennial mask of human rights.

It will be a situation of the military being between Scylla and Charybdis. Either way they will have to bear the brunt. Actually, our military has a history that we should feel proud of, a fact that has also won international recognition. Indonesia's independence would not have been proclaimed if our soldiers had not been deeply rooted in society. The Indonesian military comes from the people and should also act in the interest of the people. It should not benefit certain quarters, for example, the government.

The portrait of the Indonesian military is the gloomy face of our nation. Like it or not, the military's sorrow is also the people's. When the military breaks apart, so will the nation. We will be a nation sans dignity if our military becomes like a paralyzed scabby cat simply because of the action of a handful of immoral people. We will burst into anger to see our soldiers only wail over their fate in their barracks.

We agree this country should not be left to the TNI. There are quite a lot of people who deserve to be leaders. Marginalizing the TNI, let alone eliminating the military, is a careless act which will put the future of our nation at stake.

BAMBANG HENDARDI

Depok, West Java