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Rights groups decry another military appointee for Bulog

Another Indonesian Army officer Maj. Gen. Ahmad Rizal Ramdhani, who is still in active duty, was appointed by State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir as the next State Logistics Agency (Bulog) president director.

Radhiyya Indra (The Jakarta Post)
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Fri, July 11, 2025 Published on Jul. 10, 2025 Published on 2025-07-10T20:29:15+07:00

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Workers carry rice sacks at the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) warehouse in Cimahi, West Java, on July 10. Workers carry rice sacks at the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) warehouse in Cimahi, West Java, on July 10. (Antara/Abdan Syakura )

T

he return of a former military officer to the Indonesian Military (TNI) following a brief spell at the State Logistics Agency (Bulog), only to be replaced with another active officer, has been met with opposition from civic groups, who call it a bad precedent for military involvement in civilian affairs.

Army officer Maj. Gen. Ahmad Rizal Ramdhani, who is still in active duty, replaced Lt. Gen. Novi Helmy Prasetya as Bulog’s president director starting July 3. The appointment was formalized in a decree issued by State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir.

Novi’s departure from the agency reportedly came from his intention to “continue serving” as a TNI officer, as he returned to his post as an Army general after leaving the agency. He officially stepped down as Bulog chief on June 30.

Both Novi’s return to the military and Ahmad’s appointment sparked strong criticism from rights groups, which called the government willfully accommodating active military officers in key non-military roles.

“As Novi returned to active service, there’s a strong likelihood that he never truly retired from the military when serving as Bulog’s president director,” Amnesty International Indonesia executive director Usman Hamid said.

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