Vaudine England, Jakarta – Recruitment of a civilian militia has started in the capital, amid growing fears these bamboo-stick wielding men could foment trouble in the coming months.

A Jakarta military command spokesman said recruitment began on January 11. Recruits must be male, aged between 18 and 45 and possess at least junior high school qualifications.

The plan for a civilian army drew widespread criticism when first mooted last month. Training of what the military hopes will be a 12,000-strong force is to start on February 1 at 14 military centres across Jakarta.

When justifying the allocation of funds for the militia in the state budget, armed forces commander and Minister of Defence General Wiranto said the civilian army would "help create a feeling of safety in society as well as to enforce the law and maintain stability".

But not everyone sees it quite like that. "I think the so-called militia is just a ruse by the military to turn the people against each other," said Annas Alamudi, a member of the KB-UI, a student group at the University of Indonesia. "The army doesn't want the people to be unified because a unified people is a threat to the status quo. Our view is the army is using the civilian militia to divide and conquer."

Members of the militia will receive just two weeks of training, for which they will be paid 100,000 rupiah. Once deployed, they will receive 200,000 rupiah per month. This is good money in a context where ordinary people are trying to survive mass unemployment and economic distress.

The military spokesman said militia members would not be armed with guns, only with bamboo sticks and shields. Officially named the People's Security (Kamra), the militia's main goal would be to help security personnel safeguard the general election planned for June.

"This adds an element of total uncertainty to the conduct of elections," a prospective monitor of the vote said. "They will be everybody's shock troops."

Opponents of the civilian army also fear that the armed forces or the police could divert blame towards the militia for anything untoward that might happen. Those who witnessed the killings of students at Atmadjaya University in central Jakarta in November recall how truck-loads of unidentified civilians, armed with pointed sticks, were used to provoke the students.

One observer said: "The students were remarkably restrained. Here were these thugs throwing rocks and insults at the them. It was deliberate provocation, with the army and police watching."

The militia will be authorised to carry out some police duties, such as checking ID cards. They also will be empowered to make arrests. "These men will be physically and mentally drilled to boost their strength and discipline," the military spokesman said. "They will also be taught general knowledge, including human rights and law."