Indonesia's "quasi" ROTC : the Student Regiment

[toukairin]

Hi, I'm Enrico from Indonesia.

I'm new here, so, nice to meet all of you.

I've been told to make a new topic about the Indonesian Student Regiment, so i'm starting it here.

I'm a member of the Student Regiment, my unit is 1st Battalion/Institut Teknologi Bandung <-- Bandung Institute of Technology

The Student Regiment (Resimen Mahasiswa a.k.a MENWA) is Indonesia's only quasi-ROTC units, spread across the country. It's first established in 1959 as a backup unit to help defeat the guerilla insurgence of the separatist Darul Islam/Tentara Islam Indonesia (Dar Al Islam/Indonesian Islamic Forces) in the '50s.

Indonesia's politic of Confrontation with the newly proclaimed Malaysia helped established the formal Student Regiment units from ITB, UNPAR, and other universities in bandung. On those days, the units' members can number up to hundreds in one university alone, so a "real" platoons, companies etc can be made.

But the Old Order under President Sukarno fell in 1967, and the New Order (Orde Baru/OrBa) under President Suharto started. While tha nature of OrBa is very militeristic (with many state Department Ministers held by active duty military generals), the Menwa has a paradox development.

On one side, many units enjoy extra support from the military. On the best days, even up to a point when the Menwa could borrow assault rifles more that the number they wrote on the letter, and could place it in the campus without worrying the military would take it any day.

But the establishment of menwa is to create future military officers, and that curriculum never materialized until this day.

Instead, the flow of Menwa training could be divided to these steps :
- Basic Military Traning
Usually a month or so, with each unit has their own tradition for "Pembaretan" (lit. "wearing the Beret). My unit (1st Batt./ITB)'s pembaretan tradition is with Latihan Tradisi Korps (Corps Tradition Exercise) by walking a long march, from the mountains to the beach, about 50-60 km length in total.
- Youth Company Development
Advanced training like rappeling, mountaineering, first aid, etc
- Trainer's Course
How to be a trainer for the new guys, for the juniors, etc.
- Staff Duty Course
How to be a staff and organize unit activities

All these steps is not reguler military curriculum. It has been this way for many decades, nevertheless, the objective to create future leaders was achieved in many aspects (some of our alumnis became state department ministers, high ranking officials, provincial governors, successful businessman, etc).

Now after the fall of OrBa, all units are consolidating and try to survive in an era where people would likely to go to bars, clubs, etc rather than having a military training and education. It's an everlasting challenge, to create future leaders.

if anybody have questions, please do so.

btw sorry for my really bad english, it's not my first language, hehehe.

[Frisbee]

Very interesting Enrico. Thank you.