Jakarta – The government's plan to form a civil militia has been denounced as "dangerous" by opposition leaders, but that has not stopped thousands of people in Bogor, West Java, from applying to join the civilian security units.
"Of the thousands of people who have registered for the civilian defence force, only 600 passed the initial administration test," Deputy Bogor Military Commander Major Utoh Zanedi said earlier this week.
"Those who passed the first test will take further tests, including health, physical and mentality examinations," The Indonesian Observer on Thursday quoted him as saying.
Major Utoh, who heads the militia application centre in Bogor, said his city would need at least 1,000 civilian security personnel, who will help the Indonesian armed forces "maintain safety and order" in the region, especially in the run-up to the June 7 general election.
"With only 600 candidates passing the administration test, we still need more people to fulfil the quota for our region. Therefore, we will conduct a second and third round of registration, and hope that more potential candidates will enroll," he said.
Enrolments opened on Jan 11 and will continue until March 12. Candidates must be aged between 18 and 45, and have a minimum education level of junior high school.
The first batches of successful applicants who commence training will receive a monthly salary of 200,000 rupiah (S$37). The Harian Terbit afternoon daily reported on Thursday that most applicants for the militia in Bogor were elementary or junior high-school graduates.
Justice Minister Muladi says the establishment of civilian defence forces was an attempt by the government to attract members of the public to help maintain peace and order.
"The existence of the civilian defence forces is not only aimed at securing the 1999 general election, but is also one of the government's efforts to get people involved in creating a secure situation," he said.
Nevertheless, political analysts fear the presence of a militia may lead to civil warfare. Muslim reformist leader Amien Rais, who chairs the National Mandate Party, has expressed grave doubts about the force's effectiveness. "The establishment of a militia is not the solution to guaranteeing security and order within society, especially prior to the general election," newspapers quoted him as saying. "What we really need is the political will from the government and all parties to respect democracy and the people's aspirations."
Initially, some 40,000 civilians will be recruited for the security forces, including at least 12,000 to be deployed in Jakarta.