JAKARTA: The mandatory military-style training for managers of President Prabowo Subianto’s Red and White Rural Cooperatives and fishing villages initiatives has claimed two more lives, intensifying calls from lawmakers and civil society groups to review the programme.
Just days into the 30-day basic military training conducted under the Defence Ministry’s reserve component, four of more than 35,000 participants have died.
Earlier this week, Anisa Muyassaroh died after suffering heat stroke during training in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, while Yonanda Muhammad Taufiq died of cardiac arrest after introductory activities at a training center in Baturaja, South Sumatra. The third incident was in Jakarta, where Novia Rahmadhani Sihotang, died after falling ill after developing what the ministry described as health complications, linked to tuberculosis.
The Defence Ministry confirmed on Friday (June 26) that another participant, Muhammad Rifqi Renaldi Gunawan, died after having breathing difficulties on Thursday while undergoing training in an Air Force facility in Jakarta. He received intensive care at a hospital but eventually died on Friday early morning.
Following the latest fatality, ministry spokesperson Brigadier General Rico Ricardo Sirait said on Friday the ministry would “continue a comprehensive review of the programme. The review includes strengthening health screening procedures, early detection of medical conditions, participant monitoring and emergency response protocols.”
Expressing concerns over the latest death, rights group Amnesty International Indonesia (AII) said the military training for cooperative managers was “a fatal mistake that must be stopped immediately.”
“The government must end this military training now and replace it with education focused solely on cooperative management and business skills,” AII executive director Usman Hamid said on Friday, calling for an independent investigation to determine whether shortcomings in the training contributed to the deaths.
Usman argued the programme reflected the growing militarisation of civilian affairs under Prabowo's administration, warning that it echoed the military's dual function during the New Order. He further criticised the training as incompatible with the principles of cooperatives, which emphasise democratic decision-making and collective participation rather than military-style hierarchies.
Lawmakers have likewise called for an evaluation, including members of the House of Representatives Commission I, which oversees defence. Commission I deputy chair Dave Laksono of the Golkar Party said lawmakers were closely monitoring the programme to assess its implementation and help improve it.
While maintaining that the training was intended to instill discipline, leadership and nationalism, Dave said its methods and emergency response mechanisms should be refined to better safeguard participants.
“Constructive evaluations and improvements will further strengthen the quality of the training programme, while ensuring that it is carried out professionally and with accountability and by prioritising safety,” he said on Friday.
Commission member Imas Aan Ubudiyah of the National Awakening Party stressed that participants should undergo more rigorous health screenings to ensure they are fit for the physically demanding training. “Risk mitigation standards, health screenings, medical supervision and assessments of participants’ physical capabilities must be an integral part of the training process,” Imas said in a statement on Thursday, urging change in training curriculum and methods.
Meanwhile, Presidential Chief of Staff Dudung Abdurachman said on Friday that the government was still evaluating the four deaths but that no evidence of negligence had been found so far. “Based on the information I have received, there has been no indication of negligence. The training itself is not particularly strenuous. There may have been underlying health conditions or other factors, all of which are still being evaluated and investigated,” he said, stressing that future sessions must place greater emphasis on participant safety.
After completing the military training, participants will undergo 15 days of managerial instruction before being assigned to run the programmes. The government aims to build 80,000 cooperative units and 5,000 fishing villages by 2029. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
