In the past month, critics have decried the plan to revise the law, warning that such a move ran the risk of taking the country back to the authoritarian New Order regime led by former president Soeharto, when active-duty military officers were able to take on civilian positions without having to resign from the service.

Despite widespread public opposition, the House, which is dominated by political parties supporting President Prabowo Subianto, unanimously approved the law’s revision during a plenary session on Thursday morning.

House Speaker Puan Maharani of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the only de facto opposition party, banged the gavel twice at the plenary after asking for lawmakers’ approval to pass the bill.

“We, along with the government, stress that the amendment remains based on democratic principles, civilian supremacy and human rights, in line with national and international law,” Puan said.

Read also: Opposition to TNI Law revision grows

The legislation revises the previous 2004 TNI law, a landmark reform of policy on the country’s armed forces aimed at reining in the military’s deep reach in civil affairs during Soeharto’s era. His ouster in 1998 formally ended the long-standing dwifungsi (dual function) doctrine of the military in civilian affairs.