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Indonesia's highest body endorses civilian forces program with conditions
Jakarta Post - October 16, 2015
MPR speaker Zulkifli Hasan supported the Defend the State program, as long as the program was adjusted to the present context.
"The concept will be discussed later, but the methods and contents should be adjusted to our current development," said MPR speaker Zulkifli Hasan in Surakarta, Central Java.
According to Zulkifli, who is also the National Mandate Party (PAN) chairman, the state defense program is not related to military activities but is merely in place to support nationalism, which is in line with Article 27 of the Constitution that stipulates Indonesians have a right and duty to defend the country
"This program is necessary to be implemented due to the lack of national values. There are so many corrupted values in our country nowadays. Hence the need to strengthen national values through national insight," Zulkifli asserted.
In this case, MPR is willing to make contributions to the program by implementing national insight, he said, adding that this was in line with MPR efforts to socialize the four pillars of the assembly. "MPR is willing to fill the national insight of the four pillars," he added.
The four pillars of the MPR are Pancasila (Indonesia's five-point ideology), the 1945 Constitution (UUD 1945), the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) and the state motto, Bhineka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity).
Earlier, political expert at Padjadjaran University Muradi called on the plan of Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu to recruit and train 100 million civilians for the program within the next 10 years.
According to Muradi, the government should clarify a number of points, including the program's goals, legitimacy, required infrastructure, funding and endorsement from the reserve component bill.
Meanwhile, the head of the human rights group Setara Institute, Hendardi, said that the program was not in line with the constitution, adding that the program would only waste money and time.(dan)
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