More than 230 volunteers from all walks of life have registered themselves with an ultra-nationalist group for military assignments if a confrontation erupts between Indonesia and Malaysia following a recent border incident.
Not only youths, but also a 81-year-old man signed up for the war, which looks unlikely, as soon as the Ganyang Malaysia (Crush Malaysia) opened its command post to register the volunteers in front of the Proclamation Monument in Central Jakarta at 3 p.m. on Tuesday.
“We answer to the call of duty. Malaysia has many times despised us,” command post coordinator Sonny P.Sasono told tempointeraktif.com.
He said his group opened the registration in response to the government’s soft stance against Malaysia. “Why the government always looks weak when dealing with Malaysia? Government officials only state the obvious when talking about the issue,” he added.
He said the registration would open until Idul Fitri, which is expected to fall on Sept. 10.
The registered volunteers will undergo military training to prepare themselves for the war, he added.
The government has insisted on diplomatic measures to solve border disputes with Malaysia.
