JAKARTA: The government will train inmates receiving amnesty to work in the country’s food security programme, according to Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas, clarifying issues suggesting that the former convicts would be enlisted in the military reserve force.
Inmates of productive age who receive amnesty from President Prabowo Subianto would undergo vocational training before being deployed to businesses supporting Indonesia’s food security agenda, the minister said.
“[The inmates] will not simply be released after receiving amnesty. They must first undergo training so they can contribute to the nation’s food security,” said Supratman, a politician of Prabowo’s Gerindra Party, on July 2, as quoted by Kompas.com.
He added that the government had previously discussed a plan to allow amnesty recipients to join the Defence Ministry’s reserve component (Komcad).
However, the plan was later scrapped due to legal issues related to the former convicts’ inability to fulfill several requirements stipulated in the 2019 National Resources Management for State Defence Law.
“In principle, it was considered that [the former inmates] could participate [in Komcad] if possible. However, I understand there are issues regarding nomenclature in the law pertaining to formal requirements,” Supratman said.
“But the main objective is to make use of available human resources to help improve productivity, particularly in the food sector.”
Supratman’s explanation clarified another statement by Immigration and Corrections Minister Agus Andrianto, who said the previous week that inmates under the age of 35 would receive amnesty on the country’s Independence Day on Aug 17.
He added the former convicts would join the Komcad to instill discipline. Agus also said the amnesty was intended to ease chronic overcrowding in the country’s prisons, which he acknowledged as a longstanding challenge for Indonesia’s correctional system.
In Indonesia, a sitting president usually issues decisions on sentence cuts for inmates during Independence Day celebrations as well as during major religious holidays such as Idul Fitri for Muslim convicts and Christmas for their Christian counterparts.
Participants of the Bachelor of Development Mobilizer Program (SPPI) attend a session of the nationalism and managerial training programme for Red and White Cooperatives manager candidates on June 30 at the Indonesian Army's Health Center in Kramat Jati, East Jakarta.
The government has recently launched military training under the Defence Ministry’s Komcad programme for civil servants and managers of President Prabowo’s Red and White Cooperatives, among other recipients.
Nearly 1,800 civil servants of various ministries finished their training in early June, with the bootcamp aimed to “strengthen the quality of manpower” by instilling discipline and nationalism.
The Defence Ministry also led a 45-day training programme for over 35,000 candidates to manage the Red and White Cooperatives that include 30 days of basic military training under the Komcad.
But the training was met with uproar following the death of five candidates after falling ill during the training. The deaths intensified calls from activists and lawmakers alike for the review and termination of the military bootcamp.
On July 1, Deputy Defene Minister Donny Ermawan Taufanto said the manager candidates would not be included in the Komcad after they finish their bootcamp as authorities changed their training regiment by excluding basic military from the curriculum.
“We have told [the House of Representatives] Commission I that we have revised the program. [...] The candidates will only be given lessons about nationalism and patriotism as well as discipline,” Donny said, as quoted by Kompas.com.
Civilians aged 18 to 35 are allowed to enlist in the Komcad programme as military reservists under the command of the Indonesian Military (TNI) during training and mobilisation. They will receive a three-month training in basic military skills. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
