By: Prabowo Subianto [taken from the Book: Military Leadership Notes from Experience Chapter I: Exemplary Leaders of The Indonesian Armed Forces]
Pak Wismoyo was a commander who influenced me a lot. His teachings influenced me personally. His main teaching to his men was to always think good, do good, and speak well. One should not let oneself think badly of others. That was the teaching of his that I have always remembered in my heart.
I consider that the values he taught are very useful and aligned with Indonesian culture and TNI culture. He said that brave men must be happy. He also said that a leader must comfort his men through singing, sports and other group activities because his men always carry out commands from their commander.
I met Pak Wismoyo Arismunandar for the first time when I joined KOPASSANDHA. He served as the Deputy Assistant for Security (Waaspam) KOPASSANDHA with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, while I was a Second Lieutenant.
At that time, I had just found out that he was Pak Harto’s brother-in-law. His wife was the younger sister of Ibu Tien Suharto.
At first, I was not very close to him. But in 1978, he became our Commander in the KOPASSANDHA Group 1. At that time, I was the Commander of Company 112. So I began to get to know Pak Wismoyo Arismunandar.
He was a commander who influenced me a lot. His credo ‘Think good, do good, and speak well’ influenced me personally. One must not allow oneself to wish others ill. It was this teaching of his that I have always remembered in my heart.
He always valued good spirits and good humour. Thus, he always encouraged us to be spirited, full of enthusiasm and also to give applause generously whenever the occasion required it. Many seniors and colleagues mocked him for being so attentive to trivial issues such as hand clapping. Maybe for them, it seems trivial.
As for me, I think he was right. To make our troops and ourselves happy and full of spirit, we must start by paying attention to such trivial matters.
Upon entering the U.S. Congress, I noticed that members of the U.S. Congress always greeted the President of the United States with rapturous applause. Almost everyone gave a standing ovation. Members of the DPR also greeted the President of Indonesia with applause upon entering the House of Representatives (DPR) chamber. But the applause is usually muted. There is a lack of enthusiasm and passion.
I consider that the values he taught are very useful and in line with the Indonesian and the TNI culture. He said that brave men must be happy. He also said that a leader must comfort and entertain his men through singing, sports and other group activities because they carry out their commanders’ commands day in, day out.
Therefore, it did not matter for him whether the Commander’s singing was good or bad. What matters is the commander’s intention to entertain his men. This was why he also practised singing.
One day, there was a ceremony in KOPASSUS. As Army Chief of Staff (KASAD), he acted as the inspecting officer. I was then serving as KOPASSUS Training Centre Commander (Danpusdik). I was the field commander at the ceremony. Before the ceremony, I had a feeling that Pak Wismoyo would tell me to sing.
Therefore, I practised singing at home the day before the ceremony. I called a keyboardist and a frequent singer for KOPASSUS. I practised singing an Ambonese song titled, O Ulate: a fun, upbeat song that is not too difficult to learn. For decades, the song has always been my song of choice.
The keyboardist informed me that Pak Wismoyo also invited them to KOPASSUS for tomorrow’s event. What a great coincidence. The universe sided with me that time. So I asked him to signal to me when I was supposed to start singing after the music played, but we had to pretend we did not know each other.
My instinct was right. After the ceremony, the music began to play. Pak Wismoyo then looked for me, called me and ordered me to sing. I said that I was ready.
People then laughed at me. I was considered a bad singer and would get nervous on stage. However, they were immediately amazed when I started singing. Little did they know that I had coordinated with the keyboardist the day before.
The philosophy that I learned from Pak Wismoyo’s teachings was that brave men must be happy and full of spirit. A leader must be able to create a happy atmosphere. Therefore, Pak Wismoyo always recommended, among others, that when his men gather, the leader must be present amidst them. If his men sing, the leader must sing along even if his voice is out of tune. If his men like to dance, he must also dance with them. If his men like dangdut music, so must the leader. If the men like poco-poco dance, the leader must do it and not just sit and watch. If a leader does this, he will be highly appreciated by his men, and the bond becomes even stronger. That was what Pak Wismoyo always emphasised, ‘the unity of the leader and his men’.
Therefore, I also always try to create a happy environment. At the right times, there must be music, everyone must be cheerful, and it should be loud; everyone must have a good time, enjoying themselves.
Pak Wismoyo rarely got angry, even if he was upset with someone; he was forgiving. He often gave a second, or even a third, a chance to anyone who made mistakes.
There is a motto of his that I often refer to even until now. I even applied this motto in GERINDRA. His motto is: discipline is my breath, loyalty is my soul, honour is everything.
His next lesson was ojo ngerasani wong. It means do not speak ill of others. He often cited Pak Harto’s advice: Ojo adigang, adigung adiguna. In layman’s terms, do not be arrogant.
In addition to giving philosophical teachings, he also set examples for us. Once, we had a training exercise in Lampung, and we were conducting parachute jumps. He insisted on coming with us and took part even though his knee was injured. Before making a landing, we came up with the idea to direct him to land on a small marshy pond. It was better for him to get soaked than to worsen his injury.
He liked to do sports; swimming, volleyball, and marksmanship. He was especially good at shooting/marksmanship. He also encouraged me to learn to shoot. Moreover, as a member of the Infantry Corps, we have to be good at shooting/marksmanship. We had to learn to shoot pistols, carabines, assault rifles, and sniper rifles. We would become a laughing stock if we, as a member of the Infantry Corps, whose insignia is two crossed rifles on the shoulders and the uniform’s collar, could not shoot.
Since I was a captain, thanks to continuous training, I managed to become one of the best shooters in KOPASSUS and KOSTRAD. When he was the head of KOSTRAD (Pangkostrad), and head of the Army (KASAD), he often asked me to join his team in every shooting competition.
Other than me, he also always included Tono Suratman, Rasyid Qurnuen Aquary, Syaiful Rizal, Zamroni in the KASAD shooting team.
There is one more thing that impressed me. When I was about to depart for my first operation as a Company Commander in late October 1978, at 20:00, the night before I took off at 04:00 from Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, he summoned me to his home in Cijantung.
He asked me about my preparations for the operation. I explained that everything had been prepared: weapons, bullets, compasses, medicines, rations, logistics. But he still asked what else I had to prepare. He repeated it several times. I was confused about how to answer this question because I have mentioned all the equipment.
Then he explained his point. He said that I was young and l was responsible for the lives of 100 soldiers and that all of us would face the risk of injury or death. Therefore, he reminded me as a commander that I had to be close to the Almighty God.
He then entered his room and came out with a parcel. It was a prayer mat. He asked me to put the prayer mat in my backpack for my forthcoming campaign and use it.
