“All that I’ve done [...] is neither for myself nor my family, not for any institution, not for any [political] party, but for all people and Indonesia,” said Danang Priambodo Soedirman, reciting a statement by his grandfather, the great Gen. Soedirman.

Danang acted as Soedirman, a national hero and the country’s first military commander, during a colossal play centering on the situation post-independence war in 1948 in Sedayu, Central Java.

Soedirman led guerilla forces in the jungles of Java to fight off Dutch troops that had named him a most-wanted man.

The play was featured during the commemoration of the Indonesian Military’s (TNI) 72nd anniversary held at a dock belonging to paper company PT Indah Kiat in Cilegon, Banten, on Thursday.

To the audience, which included Cabinet members and representatives of foreign embassies, the “revival” of Soedirman in the play reinforced nationalism and paid respect to a national hero who fought for the country’s independence.

However, that particular statement, which includes the term “[political] party,” although it is not known whether the quote is authentic, prompted many to assume it was to serve as a reminder for all that it was never intended for the military to be involved in politics.

The celebration was held amid ongoing discourse that the armed forces were becoming increasingly involved in political movements in the country. Observers have also expressed concern that the TNI had become politicized, while commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo, a man of controversy himself, was at the helm.

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