Nicholas Ryan Aditya, Ardito Ramadhan, Jakarta – The head of the Indonesian Military's (TNI) Information Centre (Kapuspen), Brigadier General Kristomei Sianturi, suspects there is an attempt to delegitimise the government after incidents in which TNI officers have entered campuses have been criticised by many parties.
According to Sianturi, this is an effort to pit the TNI against students, even though the TNI should be close to students because Indonesia adheres to the total people's security and defence system (Sishankamrata).
"Is there (the TNI phenomenon entering campuses) an element of delegitimising the government, undermining the government by pitting the TNI against students, because our defence system is a total people's security and defence system", said the Kapuspen at the TNI Headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta, on Thursday April 24.
"If the TNI is far from the ordinary people, the TNI is far from students, then it cannot later apply Sishankamrata", he said.
Sianturi is also of the view that criticism of the TNI entering campuses has been exaggerated in order to weaken the national defence system. According to Sianturi, the public should look at the issue logically.
He gave as an example, the arrival of a village supervisory non-commissioned officer (Babinsa) at a student discussion on the Walisongo Islamic State University (UIN) campus in Semarang, Central Java, which was not to spy on activities or intimidate students.
"The duty of a Babinsa is to monitor a territory, so that they can prepare pockets of resistance in the event of an all out war, guerrilla warfare, or a protracted war", said Sianturi.
Sianturi explained that a Babinsa must know the environment around them and the potential that can be used if there is a war such as vehicle workshops that can be used as a place to repair weapons or the location of ammunition experts.
"A Babinsa must be able to master this, so they monitor the territory. So that if there's a guerrilla war or a protracted war, it is not strange and the community is already familiar, this is what a Babinsa is", he said.
Incidents of the TNI's coming onto campuses have been in the public spotlight recently since the House of Representatives (DPR) passed the revisions to the TNI Law on March 20.
Kompas.com has recorded that TNI offices have came to a number of student consolidation events on several campuses, including the Walisongo UIN and the University of Indonesia campus in Depok, Jakarta.
The All Indonesia Student Executive Council Alliance (BEM SI) believes that the presence of the TNI on campus does not have any direct relevance to the development of science and technology.
"Instead this has the potential to create a climate of fear, kill critical thinking, and narrow space for scientific discussion that is free and autonomous", said BEM SI Chairperson Herianto on Thursday.
According to Herianto, whatever the reason given, the military entering campuses still has the potential to threaten the principles of critical education and democracy.
"When the military enter campus, what is threatened is not just students, but also the future of critical and democratic education in Indonesia", he added.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Disorot karena Masuk Kampus, TNI Merasa Dibenturkan dengan Mahasiswa".]
