Jakarta – The Civil Society Coalition is urging the Ministry of Defence (Kemenhan) and the Ministry of for Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform (PAN-RB) to stop the practice of requiring state civil servants (ASN) and civil servants (PNS) to take part in Basic Military Reserve Component Training (Latsarmil Komcad).
The call emerged after the death of an ASN from the Ministry of Creative Economy (Kemenekraf), Vanreko Varkas Bagaskara (28), while undergoing Komcad Latsarmil at the Pasgat 1 Parako Brigade field at the Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta on Saturday September 26.
The Coalition is demanding that the government explain the complete chronology of the incident transparently, especially regarding weather conditions, training load and the results of the victim's initial health examination.
"This initial medical information is important, but it does not replace an independent and thorough examination", wrote the Civil Society Coalition in a written statement on Sunday September 27.
Apart from demanding an investigation into the incident, the Coalition also highlighted the forced participation of ASN in the Komcad program. Yet, referring to Article 28 paragraph (2) of Law Number 23/2019 on the Management of National Resources for National Defence (UU PSDN), Komcad participation is voluntary.
"Legally, the obligation of citizens to participate in national defence efforts is not the same as the obligation to become a member of Komcad", they asserted.
The Coalition noted that the PSDN Law requires the management of national resources to be based on democratic principles and respect for Human Rights. Therefore, character building programs should not be used as a pretext to pressure career development or bind civil servants' official obligations.
"Therefore, on that basis, the Civil Society Coalition urges the Ministry of Defence, the PAN-RB Ministry, to stop all forms of involvement of PNS or ASN in Komcad which is mandatory, a condition of service or career development, accompanied by pressure, or not based on free and informed consent", read the statement.
The six organisations that are members of the Civil Society Coalition include Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial), the Centra Initiative, Raksha Initiatives, DeJure, the Human Rights Working Group (HRWG) and the Indonesia Risk Centre (IRC).
Vanreko Varkas Bagaskara reportedly died due to heatstroke while taking part in the Latsarmil Komcad training series.
The head of the Dr Esnawan Antariksa Airforce Hospital, Colonel Kes Dr Iman Fathurrohman, explained that the incident occurred on Friday September 25 at 9.30 am when Bagaskara finished undergoing the first closing session of Latsarmil.
When he was about to enter the next training session, the deceased complained of his vision suddenly darkening and feeling dizzy until he finally lost consciousness.
"The Pusdikkes Health Team which was on standby at the training location under the leadership of Dr Iriane Dewi immediately carried out first aid measures on the spot" said Fathurrohman, as reported by Detik on Sunday. (thr/wiw)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Koalisi Sipil Minta Kemenhan Setop Wajibkan ASN Ikut Komcad".]
