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Govt looks to millennials to be military reservists
The Defense Ministry plans to start recruiting young people to become military reservists sometime in the middle of this year, as an implementation of the 2019 law on the management of national resources for state defense, despite criticisms
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span>The Defense Ministry plans to start recruiting young people to become military reservists sometime in the middle of this year, as an implementation of the 2019 law on the management of national resources for state defense, despite criticisms.
According to the law, the military reserve is a voluntary service that can be mobilized to strengthen the Indonesian Military (TNI) when it is dealing with armed threats. The law, which was enacted last September, stipulates that citizens aged between 18 and 35 years have the right to participate in the program under the condition they pass a number of tests and be on call until they are 48. They are also required to undergo basic military training for three months.
The ministry is now seeking millennials aged 18 and above to enroll in the program, according to the ministry's defense potential director general, Bondan Tiara Sofyan. It is expected that about 25,000 reservists would gradually be recruited.
"This program is not a compulsory conscription. The reserve component is only meant to strengthen our main defense component, the TNI,” Bondan said on Thursday.
The ministry is waiting for a government regulation that would detail the civilian recruitment mechanism. The regulation is currently being deliberated over by the State Secretariat.
"We’ve done harmonizing it and we’re now finalizing it. We will announce it to the public as soon as it is ready," Bondan said.
The TNI, she added, would be responsible for the mobilization of the reservists, who can be used to assist all three military branches – the Army, Navy and Air Force.
"But now the focus is still on the Army. The Navy and Air Force are more complex due to technical aspects, but if there is a request from them, for example, to protect Natuna waters, they could mobilize the reserve component," Bondan said.
Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak, spokesman for Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, said: "Their mobilization and demobilization are decided by the President [Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo] with the approval of the House of Representatives."
In addition to the military reserve component, the 2019 law also regulates another program called Bela Negara (state defense campaign), which aims to strengthen nationalism and patriotism. Bela Negara, however, does not include deployment. It was initiated in 2015 by former defense minister Ryamizard Ryacudu. In 2016, the ministry recruited some members for Bela Negara in 45 districts and cities simultaneously.
Dahnil said Ryamizard's Bela Negara would continue to exist, adding that people who had been recruited for this program could also join the military reserve.
“They [those already in Bela Negara] will have to meet the same requirements and undergo the selection process [to become reservists].”
Rights activists criticized the reserve, highlighting the possibility of it being mobilized to deal with the country's domestic issues — such as threats from communism or terrorism — instead of external threats, which could mean it has the potential to cause social conflict.
Al Araf from the Imparsial human rights watchdog said such civilian militarization in the past often resulted in human rights violations, as happened during the New Order era and in the beginning of the reform era.
“This is very concerning because the reserve component can be used as a legitimate tool for dealing with civil society groups. The presence of militias in Timor Leste, Aceh and Papua, as well as the mobilization of Pamswakarsa [civilian security forces] to break up demonstrations in the beginning of the reform era had caused some problems, including human rights violations," he said.
"What Indonesia needs is to create a professional army by providing modern defense equipment and improving their welfare, as well as by reforming the military judicial system."
Activists also expressed concern about a provision stipulating that reservists may face a maximum of four years in prison if they refuse to answer a call to service.
Al Araf said that anyone who voluntarily signs up for the program should instead have the right to reject mobilization at any time without having to face criminal charges.
The right of conscientious objection to any military service is based on Article 18 of the United Nations' International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees the right to freedom of thought and conscience.
