Top Cleric Demands Halt to Military-Style Training After Participant Deaths

A prominent cleric from Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) has demanded the government immediately stop a military-style training program for prospective managers of village and fishing cooperatives. The Sarjana Penggerak Pembangunan Indonesia (SPPI) program, which prepares participants for roles in the Merah Putih Village Cooperatives (KDMP) and Merah Putih Fishing Village Cooperatives (KNMP), has come under intense scrutiny.

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Please stop the program first and conduct an investigation. The deaths of these five people are very unreasonable and cannot be justified by any claim of character development.

This urgent call comes after the tragic deaths of five participants during the program's basic military training. Hilmy Muhammad, who also serves as a member of the Regional Representative Council (DPD) for Yogyakarta, described the deaths as a "humanitarian tragedy" and a "fatal oversight" stemming from a flawed recruitment system. He emphasized that such a loss of life is unjustifiable, regardless of any claims of character building.

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The deaths are a humanitarian tragedy for us. This is a fatal oversight and a flaw in the recruitment system that ultimately sacrificed human lives.

Gus Hilmy, as he is known, further questioned the necessity of a militaristic approach for cooperative managers. He argued that the core responsibilities of these roles involve managing operations and human resources, not combat. He suggested that the program's extreme methods are a misapplication of military tactics in civilian affairs, which require different skill sets. While respecting the military's role in national security, he stated that not all civilian issues necessitate military-style solutions.

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This tragedy is a momentum to correct the tendency to use military approaches in various civilian matters that actually require different competencies.

The cleric highlighted a mismatch between the skills required for managing grassroots economic institutions like KDMP and KNMP, and the training provided. He asserted that these organizations need professionals skilled in trade, business management, and marketing strategies. Instead, the training focused excessively on physical exertion beyond humane limits, neglecting crucial aspects like emotional intelligence, leadership, and problem-solving, which are vital for managing businesses and fostering growth.

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However, not all civilian problems must be solved with a military approach.