Pepolit (Pendidikan Politik Tentara): Desain Postur Tentara (kaum) Kiri

Abstract

The article discusses the dynamics of the formation of the Indonesian National Army (TNI) in the early days of independence, which was influenced by the global and internal political situation. After the proclamation of independence, the biggest challenge in the formation of the national army was the desire of the Dutch, supported by the Allies, to regain control of Indonesia. Domestically, the influence of developing political ideologies created tensions in forming the posture of the national army. Amir Sjarifuddin, as Minister of Defense, introduced the concept of the "People's Army," which aimed to make the army close to the people and in line with the demands of the revolution. Through the Pepolit (Army Political Education) program, Amir attempted to spread socialist ideology within the army, which sparked conflict with groups of regular soldiers from the ex-KNIL and Peta. The Pepolit program eventually caused tensions between the military and the government, because it was considered an attempt to spread communism. However, with the dualism in national defense, in 1947 the government united the regular army and the struggle troops into the TNI. However, the influence of left-wing ideology persisted until the Madiun rebellion in 1948 and peaked in the events of 1965. Pepolit was the initial milestone in the leftist movement's efforts to control the army in Indonesia.