Jakarta – A non-governmental organisation (NGO) that focuses on human rights issues, Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial), has strongly criticised a plan by West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi who wants to send troublesome students to Indonesian Military (TNI) barracks for guidance.
Imparsial Director Ardi Manto Adiputra believes that the plan is not just a concrete form of militarisation of the civilian sphere, but also contrary to human rights principles.
According to Adiputra, the involvement of the TNI in addressing the problem of troublesome students clearly violates the function of the TNI itself. He said that Mulyadi should be aware of the demarcation line between civil and military affairs.
"This policy plan shows an attitude of civilian inferiority towards the military which at a certain stage is dangerous for civilian life and democracy", said Adiputra in a written statement on Wednesday April 30.
He said that the involvement of the TNI in coaching troublesome students was also inappropriate amid sharp criticisms of the TNI due to the violent behaviour of soldiers in the civilian sphere.
In addition to this, those who are considered troublesome students are still classified as "children" who under human rights principles must be treated in accordance with the principles of children's rights which are far removed from a culture of violence.
"We remind you that in a period of just [the last] six months, the TNI has a track record of violence that has been repeatedly displayed before the public", he added.
Based on Imparsial's records, there have been a number of cases of violence by TNI members against civilians this year.
This began with the attack on a village and the murder of a civilian in November 2024 in Deli Serdang, followed by the murder of a car rental business owner in January 2025 in Tangerang, a cockfighting case that resulted in the fatal shooting of three police officers in March 2025 in Lampung and the murder of a female journalist by a TNI member in Banjarbaru in March.
"The deep-rooted culture of violence within the TNI clearly shows that the policies that would be taken up by Dedi Mulyadi are not only wrong but also dangerous", said Adiputra.
"Don't let it be that instead of students' behaviour changing for the better, the TNI's coaching policy actually reinforce the culture of violence among students," he stressed.
Adiputra believes that the military approach that Mulyadi is trying to use to "educate" troublesome students clearly harms the spirit of democracy and is far removed from human rights values.
Yet at the same time, Article 4 paragraph (1) of Law Number 20/2003 on the National Education System regulates the principle that education must be organised democratically and fairly and without discrimination while upholding human rights.
Based on all the problems above, Imparsial is urging Mulyadi to halt the planned policy to involve the TNI in the development of troublesome students. In addition, he is asking the Minister of Home Affairs to prevent the plan from going ahead.
Speaking to the media earlier on April 28, Mulyadi expressed as desire to send problematic senior high school (SMA) students to the TNI barracks.
Mulyadi said that for six months the students would be trained in the barracks and will not attend formal school, and the TNI will pick up the students directly from their homes to train their character and behaviour.
The program is now being initiated by the West Java Provincial Government together with the Siliwangi/III Regional Military Command (Kodam). (ryn/wis)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Imparsial Kritik Demul: Kirim Siswa Nakal ke Barak TNI Keliru & Bahaya".]
