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State Defense program has no legal basis: Rights watchdog
The State Defense program (Bela Negara), introduced by the Defense Ministry in 2015, was created without a clear vision or proper legal basis, human rights watchdogs have said.
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Stay alert -- (Left to right) Imparsial executive director Al Araf, Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS) deputy coordinator for strategy and mobilization Puri Kencana Putri and Institute for Defense and Security Studies (IDSS) executive director Mufti Makarim speak during a press conference in Jakarta on Monday. (thejakartapost.com/Viriya Paramita Singgih)
T
he State Defense program (Bela Negara), introduced by the Defense Ministry in 2015, was created without a clear vision or proper legal basis, human rights watchdogs have said.
Institute for Defense and Security Studies (IDSS) executive director Mufti Makarim said the State Defense program could be used to achieve several different goals: To conduct military conscription, to recruit civilians to create a larger military reserve, or to provide civic education.
“The current program doesn’t have a concept. It seems as if everything is mixed up in the program,” he said in Jakarta on Monday.
Meanwhile, human rights watchdog Imparsial executive director Al Araf asserted that the State Defense program had no legal basis. Instead, the program could militarize civilians, as what had happened during the New Order era, he added.
“In the past, civilian security forces, or Pamswakarsa, were used to break up demonstrations. If this matter isn’t addressed immediately, the militarization of civilians could happen once again,” he said. (vps/ebf)
