TNI Commander: PKI Descendants Shouldn't Be The Reason To Fail Prospective Soldiers

JAKARTA - TNI Commander General Andika Perkasa reminded his staff that descendants of members of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) should not be the reason to thwart prospective soldiers in the selection process.

General Andika explained that if the selection committee thwarted a prospective soldier because of PKI descent, then that was a decision that had no legal basis.

“What is prohibited is the PKI, the second is the teachings of Communism, Marxism, and Leninism. That's what's written," Andika said conveying the contents of MPRS XXV/1966 Decree (TAP) as broadcast on General TNI Andika Perkasa's YouTube channel as reported by Antara, Wednesday, March 30.

Therefore, the TNI Commander asked his staff for the 2022 TNI Soldier recruitment selection committee to delete questions that asked about the kinship relationship between the prospective soldiers and the PKI.

"Let's not make it up. I am a person who obeys the laws and regulations. Remember this. We forbid to make sure we have a legal basis," Andika said to his staff.

General Andika Perkasa also ordered the Selection Committee not to make rules and prohibitions that have no legal basis, including those related to the kinship of prospective soldiers with the PKI and the PKI's underbow organizations.

"In my time there was no longer any offspring (related prohibition). No, because I use the legal basis,” said Andika Perkasa.

At the 2022 TNI Admissions Coordination Meeting in Jakarta, the TNI Commander received reports from his staff regarding the selection process, including the stages, mechanisms, selection methods, and questions given to participants when they underwent an ideology test.

The Commander in Chief at the same meeting also ordered the Selection Committee to no longer include posture checks in the fitness test stage, because it was already in the health examination.

“The posture check isn't already in health? We should not duplicate even though we are not health people," said the Commander.

Thus, the aptitude test no longer needs to include a posture check and a swimming test, because not all prospective soldiers have access to a swimming pool or a place to learn to swim.

"It is not fair (if there is a swimming test)," said General Andika.

Then, the Commander-in-Chief also asked the Selection Committee to take academic scores from transcripts of certificates of prospective soldiers. Thus, he requested that the academic test be removed from the selection stage.

"In my opinion, this academic test just takes the GPA (cumulative achievement index) and the transcript, because for me the diploma is more important. There is no need for academic tests anymore," he said.

At the end of the meeting, the Commander asked his staff to improve the selection mechanism as instructed.

The various improvements and changes, according to the Commander, are a way to make the 2022 TNI Soldier selection process run more effectively, efficiently and fairly.