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Psychological Warfare
Psychological Warfare
Beside that, other word for PSYOPS in military can influence the perceptions,
attitudes and behaviour of the enemy and other specified target group in all areas.
For me PSYOPS is main element in every warfare including internal war for example
emergency Malayan between 1948 until 1960, British use this tactical to get popular
support from population against PKM. Population support is important in this time
because of population can give cooperation to help government. Without cooperation
from population, government cannot get information about PKM.
In this emergency we can see that government, military, police and population take
place in this situation to counter psychological operation toward PKM. In order to
influence perceptions, attitudes and behaviour, British using propaganda in this
situation to population for support the government. This is the best way how to
communicated between government and population for achieve objective. PSYOPS
must have good communication for achieve objective, the communication not only
between government and population but insurgency also including in this
communication. For example, in the book 'Emergency propaganda: The winning heart
and mind, 1948-1958' by Kumar Ramakrishna before peace treaty have been between
government and PKM, government used propaganda to make PKM surrender like if
anyone of PKM surrender or give back firearms or guns they will get rewards from
government. This is how government communicated with PKM and try to influence
the perceptions, attitudes and behaviour toward PKM. For population, British use
propaganda to persuade population for against PKM.
PYOPS will be more complete and effective if plan toward propaganda must have
more carefully before it spread to population. Before it spread to population element
of propaganda must have like know everything information about enemy. PSYOPS is
not only about propaganda but it is about how to gain population support.
There are few type of propaganda can be classified according to the source of the
message. Firstly white propaganda, generally comes from an openly identified
source, and is characterized by gender methods of persuasion, such as standard
public relation techniques and one sided presentation of an argument. Second is,
black propaganda is identified as being from one source but its is in fact from
another. Finally is Grey propaganda is propaganda without any identifiable source or
author.
Tactical of propaganda also can be classified into two, first is strategy propaganda
and the second is tactical propaganda. In the book Hearts and mind in guerrilla
warfare: The Malayan Emergency 1948-1960 by Richard Stubbs, British use two
tactical of propaganda in the emergency. Strategy propaganda is using for fight
against policy PKM, organization of PKM and for fight against leadership of PKM.
The target of government in this strategy propaganda are toward group of media or
society that support PKM. For group of media, role of this group for spread the
information toward targeting population. Example of group media like akhbar
tempatan, radio Malaya, penerbitan risalah-risalah propaganda. Richard Stubbs told
that PKM is not easily trust of information that come from radio and article that
come from government but PKM is more trusting toward story from society. This is
why government make group of media become important in strategy propaganda
because government want propaganda easily accept to population before its spread
to PKM.
Propaganda tactical is focusing toward PKM for example spread of article
propaganda. The functioning of this propaganda target leader of PKM for giving
negative information that can give untrusted between armed forced of PKM. This can
create un loyalty or broken of PKM and maybe it can make surrender to government.
In PSYOPS, it can make we know everything about your enemy like strength of
enemy, weakness of enemy it is important to win in the battle like Sun Tzu say 'know
your enemy ,know yourself, you can win hundred thousand battlefield'
Conclusion
What can I conclude that, PSYOPS and heart and mind are related each other, the
failure of PSYOPS depend on how the government make their PSYOPS toward the
enemy. On my opinion, the characteristic on how to make the PSYOPS can reach
their objective is :
1. The government must have a clear political aim.
2. The government must function in every situation.
3. The government must have an overall counterinsurgency plan that encompasses
security measures, military operations, political objectives, social and economic
measures and administrative policy.
4. The government must give first priority to identifying and defeating the political
subversives, not the guerilla. The enemy front organizations and the civil apparatus
are the ultimate threats to the nation.
5. When the enemy has reached the stage of substantial military operations, the
government must secure its base areas first, even if this means relinquishing some
remote areas for a time to the insurgents.
Example that the successful of PYSOPS and heart and mind like British using
psychological warfare in malaya, The British Army was deployed to Malaya to
support the civil authorities in the period leading to independence. Hearts and minds
was a civil, political and economic policy. What can i say that, the concept of
PSYOPS that using by British is like took a carrot-and-stick. The meaning of carrot is
how the British make winning heart and mind of population like sending out medical
patrols that were greatly appreciated by jungle communities with little or no access
to health care, make the facilities in the new village, make a high security toward
population. Medical care was also offered to wounded terrorists through village
mediation, which some accepted rather than face dead. This is how government try
to win the heart and mind of population. The meaning of the stick is how British use
good step for example demoralized the enemy like separated the population toward
PKM. PKM cannot get any information or hard to get facilities like medicine, food to
suffer their life. Beside that, British also use the propaganda that can make PKM
demoralized like propaganda about disadvantages attitude top leaders of PKM.