Japto Soerjosoemarno Says Pemuda Pancasila are Not Criminals
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13 December 2021 11:45 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Japto Soerjosoemarno, head of Pemuda Pancasila (Pancasila Youth/PP) explained the reasons why his mass organization is often identified with thuggery. “We have to look at the history of PP when it was founded,” said Japto as quoted from Tempo Magazine's December 13, 2021 edition.
He recalled that when established in 1959, PP recruited members who are capable of fighting. The mass organization, he added, is made up of champions in markets, schools, universities, and other places to face threats of physical aggression from foreign countries.
Japto said they are not criminals. In the old days, he went on, the numbers of police and military personnel were at a minimum. “So to ensure that markets were a safe place, they used tough guys to assign the vending spots. They were thugs who have no bosses, but they were needed at that time,” he said.
To maintain the order among members, Japto said, each of its members had a strong identity, militancy, and solidarity since 1986. In fact, he added there was a saying held by the members that if they committed a mistake, it was better to be beaten up and thrown into prison than being dismissed from Pemuda Pancasila.
Read the full article in this week's edition of Tempo Magazine: We Are The Government’s Partner
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