APSN | Expert slams minister's 'state defense' program for all civilians

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Expert slams minister's 'state defense' program for all civilians

Jakarta Globe - October 14, 2015

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Activists call on military to return to the barracks – Aktual.com. October 5, 2015
TNI intrusion into public life met with wariness – Jakarta Post. October 5, 2015

Jakarta – The idea proposed by Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu to launch a training program for all Indonesians, young and old, to help "defend the state" has created a "public scare," a political observer said on Tuesday.

Ryamizard proposed the idea on Monday, explaining that the whole nation would "rise or fall" together and that there would be a role for everyone, starting with children in kindergarten.

And those who do not want to take part, and "don't love the homeland," should "get out of here," local media quoted the minister as saying.

He has stressed however that the move was not aimed at making military service mandatory, even though the program was to be run by the Defense Ministry. Details on what the program would actually entail remain scarce, sparking widespread concern.

"There is a sense of fear among the public because the idea is that those refusing to join the program must leave the country," Muradi, who heads the Politics and Security Study Center (PSPK) at Padjajaran University in Bandung, said on Tuesday.

The expert also said that the Defense Ministry had neither the infrastructure nor the budget ready for such a large-scale program, as it is focusing on the modernization of the arms and equipment of the Indonesian Military (TNI).

The new program is supposed to be targeting 100 million Indonesians over the next ten years.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/expert-slams-ministers-state-defense-program-civilians/.