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Prabowo questions urgency of proposed TNI Law revision
Prabowo's ministry could lose authority over the defense budget in proposed revisions, according to a TNI internal document.
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Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto (center), his aide Sjafrie Samsoeddin (left) and former State Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief AM Hendropriyono meet in private on April 26, 2023. (The Jakarta Post/Antara)
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efense Minister Prabowo appears to have rejected a proposed overhaul of the 2004 Indonesian Military (TNI) Law that is currently in the works, as he has questioned revisions that, if passed, would allow for active military officers to serve for longer and with more options for public office.
The Gerindra Party chairman, who is once again aiming for the presidency next year and is said to have secured support from President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, insisted instead that the current legislation is effective enough and has served as a guide for soldiers to work professionally.
“The TNI Law has been implemented for a long time now and has worked out for us. We have managed to prevent any ‘leakages’ and corruption,” Prabowo told reporters in Jakarta, as quoted by state news agency Antara.
“The President himself wants strong oversight, and I think that has also panned out pretty well,” he said on Thursday.
His remarks were made in response to the emergence of a draft proposal to revise the current legal framework, which is being devised internally by the TNI’s legal division.
In a presentation document seen by The Jakarta Post, the proposed revisions would allow for active military officers to occupy positions in 18 ministries and government agencies, nearly double the current number of 10 stipulated in the prevailing law.
The revision would also introduce a passage describing the TNI as “a state tool in the field of defense and state security”, which early analyses suggest could potentially overlap with the authority of the National Police.
