J

une 7, p6

Singapore and South Korea are Asian countries where youths are subjected to conscription. The former is a city state without any real threat of war, but it has neighbors that it cannot match in terms of population. South Korea has lived with constant saber-rattling by the nuclear armed North since the Korean nation was split by war in the 1950s.

But both Singapore and South Korea can take pride in being among
the wealthiest states in the world despite their lack of natural resources, thanks in part to mandatory conscription, which like it or not has created a mentality that has driven their peoples to work hard and to uphold the value of discipline.

Indonesia, too, can reap the same benefits from conscription, although it does not have to replicate its neighbors' methods. In this context, the draft bill on auxiliary reserves submitted by the government to the House of Representatives for deliberation is of great relevance and should first and foremost be viewed from the bright side.

Your comments:

Indonesia is in a period where South Korea was 10 years ago. Indonesia is now achieving rapid economic growth and the best thing is that Indonesia's population is still young.

Dude

Singapore and South Korea are not disciplined and motivated because of conscription. If conscription has something to do with discipline and a good work ethic, then many countries in Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East would be as good as Korea and Singapore, but they are not.

Singapore and South Korea enforce national service for necessity ' South Korea is still at war with North Korea. Singapore sees itself as an island of stability in a sea of chaos ' a Chinese city state surrounded by Muslim nations that have a history of anti-Chinese sentiment.

Worse, the uneasy ethnic politics in Singapore make conscription hazardous and awkward. It needs its Chinese men to be stronger and its Indian men to be more reliable, but these two groups do not fully trust the loyalty of the Malays.

After decades, Singapore still cannot compare itself to the solid and battle-proven Israeli armed forces, its role model.

Indonesia does not need conscription. We don't need our youths to be taught how to extort from nightclubs and factories, how to serve rival generals, how to undermine the law and how to act as if the military owns Indonesia.

My grandfather resigned from the Army after he uncovered a counterfeit money ring run by his own superior. And I'm both saddened and disappointed by rookie cops on street corners who are burdened by the amount of money they have to collect for their bosses.

Mario Rustan

Australia has no hostility toward Indonesia. Quite the contrary; Australia helped Indonesia save face when Indonesia started to wage an angry campaign of arson and murder in the former East Timor in 1999 after the UN-sponsored referendum ended up with the East Timorese wanting Indonesia to go back home.

Australia was there on the front line again when a terrible tsunami hit Aceh at the end of 2004.

Australia definitely does not want hostility with Indonesia, even though there is strong resentment against Australia among the Indonesian political elite and military.

South Korea 10 years ago was a developing country and it has reached its present-day level because of the strong commitment by its leaders and people to the nation's interests.

Filippo

Comparing Indonesia with Singapore and South Korea is akin to comparing apples and oranges. For starters, both these countries have robust economies and relatively low unemployment rates.

Indonesia has very high unemployment and underemployment rates, thus making the military an attractive option for those from the poorer sections of society.

Then again, Indonesia has ethnic minorities, some of whom would like to join the Indonesian Military (TNI), but they are rejected based on their ethnicity.

Indonesia should also consider that many countries that have conscription suffer more cases of theft, abuse, suicide and basic disciplinary issues than those that have professional, all-volunteer forces.

Indonesia should consider using its military more effectively and reconsider its military recruiting practices before it considers instituting conscription.

Michael

You suggest that corruption, collusion and nepotism will be reduced if people 'at the grassroots level' transfer to work in the armed forces.
By implication, corruption, collusion and nepotism is 'rampant' among people such as farmers and factory workers, but is alien to the culture of the armed forces.

High-ranking military officers presumably lead frugal lives on their official salaries and have nothing to do with fuel smuggling, illegal businesses, sale of promotions and other illicit practices known to be practiced among police officers.

John Hargreaves