Amid growing fear from civil society groups over the determination of Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu to restore the military’s sociopolitical role of the past, the Indonesian Military (TNI) has continued launching programs that could easily be linked to practices from former president Soeharto’s 32-year rule.

The former Army chief has said that he would relaunch several policies to increase nationalistic pride among young people. He also wanted to involve the military in activities relating directly to community development, including the military’s community service, known as TNI Integrated Village Development (TMMD).

“We can accelerate rural development through the revival of the program,” Ryamizard said recently, citing his success in spearheading an emergency response team after the 2004 tsunami in Aceh.

The defense minister also repeatedly emphasized the need for the military to expand its engagement with other sectors, with the expectation that it would eventually revive the outdated military doctrine of a Total Defense System.

Meanwhile, TNI chief Gen. Moeldoko revealed the military’s plan to expand its community service to several forgotten areas such as in former conflict zones, border areas, remote villages and among the
urban poor.

“We’ve been successful in developing many villages in Indonesia. Until 2014, we’ve managed to develop 5,679 villages,” Moeldoko said during a military community service plenary meeting at military headquarters in Cilangkap,
East Jakarta.

As part of the community service, members of the military would help people to farm, teach and build village infrastructure like roads or bridges.

“I have asked [Culture and Elementary and Secondary Education] Minister Anies Baswedan to give skill upgrades to my soldiers who will be teachers in some areas,” Moeldoko said, adding that there were 2,000 soldiers needing to be trained as teachers.

The military’s current community-service efforts are almost the same as a community-service program named ABRI Masuk Desa (AMD) from the Soeharto era, which the institution was also involved in to develop infrastructure and promote nationalism among people.

Soeharto also used the AMD as a tool to monitor any form of resistance to his rule and to gain political support from villagers across the country for him to remain
in power.

However, the program was terminated soon after the fall of the Army general’s authoritarian regime in 1998. The AMD then changed its name to TMMD and the program continued with several
changes.

“We have nothing but strong spirit. Do not be reluctant to ask for their assistance to develop your area because the soldiers belong to you, not the military commander,” Moeldoko said about the role of military soldiers in the program.

Moeldoko said that the TMMD would aim to support people’s prosperity as well as to revive the spirit of patriotism and nationalism.

He acknowledged some shortcomings of the TMMD program. However he believed that in the future the TMMD would be more innovative.

“We need creativity and we will evaluate the program so it will get better from year to year,” the
general said.