Pro-Government Militias
Satgas PDI-P (Indonesia)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 346 |
| Country: | Indonesia |
| Date formed: | Oct. 20, 1999 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | The PDI-P is Megawati Sukarnoputi's party. This group is the militia wing of the party. The origin date of 20 October 1999 reflects Megawati's accession to the Vice-presidency. In 2001 she became President. According to sources, the Satgas PDI-P was formed after the party’s election success in 1999 to compete with the already existing militia wings of other parties. |
| Date dissolved: | Oct. 20, 2004 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | year |
| Details of Termination: | Megawati lost the Presidency on 20 October 2004. The militia wing was banned but apparently revived later. |
| Termination Type(s): | change in government |
Former and Successor Group Information
| Predecessor group(s): | none |
| Successor group(s): | none |
| Private Military Company? | no |
| Former Group? | no |
| Former Armed Group? | no |
| Former Rebel Group? | no |
| Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
| PGM Becomes Rebel Group? | no |
| Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
Government Relation, Support, and Training
| Government Relation: | informal (type 1) |
| Created by the Government?: | yes | Main Creating Government Institution: | governing party |
| Government Link(s): | person/minister; political party |
| If link to party, name of party: | Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) |
| Training and Equipment: | yes |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | no |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | no information; crime |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | ideology; adolescents; party activists |
| Primary Membership: | political |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | East Java, Jakarta |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, unknown] |
| Target(s): | unarmed political opposition, government critics; other pro-government militias |
| Purpose(s): | protect state, national or religious leader(s) |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Membership: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The group had tasks related to internal security and was intended to provide security for the Party Congress and during rallies as well as helping the police to maintain public order at large gatherings and to provide a show of force at demonstrations and campaigns. The militia served as a private army for its party and a counterbalance in the competition for resources with other youth organisations. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | loyalty |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | The use of violence by the group intimidated civilians. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | unknown |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no information |
| PGM Members Paid? | no information |
| Reasons for Membership: | Blind loyalty to the group’s leader Megawati in the broader frame of a militaristic cult is reported as a strong component of the group, therefore political and ideological reasons may have played into the decision to become a member. The group was supposedly also involved in thuggery, so material benefits might also have played a role as well. |
| PGM Members Killed? | rarely |
PGM Size
| Size: |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | The group apparently received some military training from former members of the military. Members of the PGM were armed with knives. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | As the name suggests, the militia was strongly linked to the PDI party. It cooperated with the police in fulfilling its duties. However, the party’s chairman and Vice President Megawati had difficulties controlling illegal actions of members of the group. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.