Jakarta, Oct 14 (Antara) - The People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) supports the Defense Ministry's idea to launch a state defense program for civilians to raise awareness on the importance of maintaining the safety and integrity of the nation and state.
"I fully support the defense minister's idea to provide state defense training to civilians," MPR Chairman Zulkifli Hasan stated at the Parliament building here on Tuesday.
The program is important to raise the people's awareness on the urgency to maintain the nation and state. After all, several countries have adopted the concept and are implementing it.
He pointed out that after 18 years of the Reform Era, there is a pressing need to raise state and national level awareness among the younger generation.
The Ministry of Defense has revealed its plans to recruit 100 million state defense cadres within a decade to anticipate ideological attacks from home or abroad. Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu noted that the cadres were needed in view of the increasing problems being faced by the nation.
Hasan noted that the House of Representatives (DPR) should also support the program.
"Indonesia's neighboring countries, such as Singapore have implemented state defense programs," he affirmed.
He said that the MPR is ready to provide full support for the program.
Former commander of the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) retired General Moeldoko also supports the defense ministry's plan to recruit and train state defense cadres in an effort to build an early civilian state defense system.
"What President Joko Widodo is planning to do (to set up a civilian state defense system) is something correct," Moeldoko remarked at the Parliament building on Monday.
He said Law No. 3/2002 on State Defense System outlined that state defense should be developed as early as possible. The system is built in three layers: the TNI, the reserve component, and the support component.
"In connection with the reserve and support components, efforts to increase the people's awareness regarding state defense is needed," the former TNI commander emphasized.
He stated that the state defense program is a major concept of the defense minister as he is the one who should prepare the required components.
"I think at present, there is nationwide concern that we need to improve and reinforce the values of the nation," he affirmed.
He pointed out that the state defense concept is not about brandishing guns, but a concept on how to educate the people to have a sense of discipline and responsibility towards the state.
Vice President Jusuf Kalla shared Moeldoko's opinion regarding the program. He said that the formation of state defense cadres is different from the establishment of cadres under the military conscription.
The state defense system aims to build and impart a sense of discipline among the people, while through the obligatory military service, the people are trained to become military personnel.
"This is a (civilian) state defense system. What is done in the state defense system is developing the people's spirit," Kalla stated.
House's Commission I Deputy Chairman on defense affairs Hanafi Aris said the establishment of a state defense program is important in view of traditional and nontraditional threats being faced by the Indonesian people.
"Such threats often come to the surface, such as the phenomenon of Indonesians being recruited by the terrorist networks, foreign cultural infiltration and certain cases in the border areas," Rais said here on Tuesday.
Rais said those who volunteer to join the state defense program should follow it comprehensively. "One cannot stop midway once he or she has chosen to join or has been assigned," he said.
He said the state defense program can cover general and special curriculum. The general curriculum can be related to the doctrine of the archipelagic concept and how to make a strategic decision.
"The special curriculum can be related to the profession which becomes the background of the volunteers to join the program,¿ he added.
The state defense concept could be enriched with what is adopted in the United States, namely the Peace Corps program.
He said the state defense concept should not always be oriented to defense and security but to those having relevance with the social and economic development of the people.
"In essence, while the concept is implemented it should continue to be improved," he added.
However, according to reports, the program would need a large budget, while the country also requires a huge amount of funds to modernize its weaponry system.
Therefore, the House of Representatives (DPR) is expected to summon Chief Political, Legal and Security Minister Luhut Pandjaitan to discuss the matter.
Deputy House Speaker Agus Hermanto has forecast that the amount of budget required for the development of a state defense program will be large, and thus, it should be studied before the government decided to implement it.
Hermanto pointed out that the state defense program bore similarity to the conscription program and what differed was its intensity and curriculum.
"Once in the past, I had attended a state defense training program, and it was almost the same as the conscription program. What makes it different is its intensity and curriculum," Hermanto pointed out.
He affirmed that Indonesia also now needs to modernize its weaponry system, and so, the implementation of a state defense system, which needs a large amount of funds, was not yet timely.
Therefore, according to House Speaker Setya Novanto, the DPR will invite Panjaitan to seek an explanation on the discourse of the state defense program.
"We should not hurry to arrive at a conclusion on the polemics of the idea to introduce the state defense concept. We should first hear out the minister¿s explanation, and we will summon him to discuss it," Novanto noted at the Parliament building on Tuesday.
He said if the state defense program for civilians had a good goal with regard to patriotism and dedication to the state and nation, the House will be ready to deliberate on it and its budget.
There has been a talk that a state defense program will need a budget of Rp500 trillion. However, Novanto claimed to have not yet heard about it. In a meeting with Novanto on Monday, Pandjaitan did not make any mention of the program and its budget.
"I think Pak (Mr) Luhut Pandjaitan has not yet thought about such a large amount of budget, and he did not speak about the matter in yesterday's meeting when we discussed the handling of forest and land fires in the country," explained Novanto.***2***
(A014/INE/o001)EDITED BY INE(T.A014/A/BESSR/O. Tamindael) 14-10-2015 12:49:2 |
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