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Proposed TNI Law revision may harm military’s professionalism
The current deliberations mark the second time in a year that the House has attempted to alter the TNI Law.
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Soldiers march in a military parade marking the 79th anniversary of the Indonesian Military (TNI) in front of the National Monument (Monas) in Merdeka Square in Jakarta on Oct. 5, 2024. (AFP/Yasuyoshi Chiba)
A
planned revision to the 2004 Indonesian Military (TNI) Law that would allow high-ranking military officers to hold concurrent civilian posts could undermine the armed forces’ reforms and professionalism, human rights observers have told lawmakers.
The House of Representatives is deliberating the revision after approving a request from President Prabowo Subianto to put the bill on this year’s National Legislation Program (Prolegnas) priority list. The request was made in a presidential letter to the legislature’s speakership dated Feb. 13.
Since the House approved Prabowo’s letter, civic organizations have been calling on it to cancel the revision, citing concerns about a possible return to the dwifungsi (dual function) system that prevailed under the New Order regime, in which active military officers were placed in numerous civilian posts.
At a meeting hosted by House Commission I overseeing military affairs on Tuesday, representatives of human rights groups Imparsial and the Setara Institute called for the lawmakers to focus on improving the TNI’s professionalism, rather than blurring the line between military and civilian responsibilities.
“Sadly, the draft of the law revision that we saw some time ago contained problematic articles that would bring down the TNI’s professionalism and hurt the reforms within the military,” Imparsial researcher Al Araf said.
The current deliberations mark the second time in a year that the House has attempted to alter the TNI Law. The previous revision focused on expanding the force’s non-combat authority to cyberspace and allowing the appointment of active TNI personnel to high-level positions in state institutions according to a sitting president’s wishes, among other changes.
But the public and civil society organizations pushed back against the plan, and lawmakers halted deliberations.
