The Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM): A Creation of Historical Experience

Abstract

A close analysis of the existence of the Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM) reveals that the ultimate aim of the organization was to have a powerful yet informal organization within the AFP, mainly as a fallback position to the dysfunctional AFP organization. Many RAM members believed that with the prevailing situation in the AFP, the downfall of the whole military organization was simply a matter of time. An informal organization in the form of a movement was a natural outcome of the sad state of the armed forces. The movement filled up the vacuum of professionalism which lad long been absent in the AFP. Many soldiers and officers believed that the enemies are not only the communists but also the equally-destructive forces that lurk from within--the corrupt and inept members of the AFP. The RAM as a strong informal organization challenged the chain of command (the formal organization) to respond to the inequities that were practiced in the armed forces.