T

he Indonesian Army will soon carry out President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s instruction to compile data on the number of foreign workers across the country, in a move that has sparked concern the military’s role may creep into areas beyond defense.

The President, the highest ranking Indonesian Military (TNI) commander, recently called for the army’s territorial units to compile data on the number of foreign workers in the areas they are assigned to, following allegations of a massive influx of Chinese workers.

Army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Candra Wijaya has confirmed the instruction. “The army will order the military’s subdistrict commands [Koramil] and district commands [Kodim] to compile data on foreign workers in their respective regions,” he told The Jakarta Post.

The army, Candra said, would coordinate with relevant authorities, including the Immigration Directorate General and the Manpower Ministry, which had together formed a task force in May to supervise foreign workers.

The President’s order was first heard from his aide, Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan.

Luhut, who relayed the instruction both during a recent seminar and through a statement posted on his Facebook account, said the issue was related to addressing continuing rumors about an influx of Chinese workers into Indonesia.

In the instruction, he said Jokowi also called for the army’s territorial and intelligence units to investigate whether or not the now-defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) still existed.

Jokowi requested the army to submit reports on the findings to Army chief of staff Gen. Andika Perkasa by January next year, who would then submit them to the President.

The recent controversy around foreign workers comes after the issuance of more lenient policies toward expatriates.

Earlier this year, the government issued Presidential Decree No. 20/2018 on foreign workers that, among other things, no longer requires companies to include foreign employees recruited for high level positions in their Expatriate Placement Plans. It also eases requirements for obtaining limited stay permits.

The decree has been opposed by local labor unions.

Allegations that Jokowi has allowed an influx of 10 million Chinese workers into Indonesia and that he is affiliated with the PKI are among the rumors that have plagued his administration for the last four years.

The government has repeatedly rebuffed rumors about a foreign worker invasion, which officials have labeled a hoax aimed at discrediting the current administration as well as a political tool ahead of April’s presidential election, in which Jokowi will seek reelection.

According to Manpower Ministry data, the total number of foreign workers officially employed in Indonesia stood at 85,974 in 2017, 24,804 of whom are Chinese.

Al-Araf from think tank Imparsial regarded Jokowi’s order as political, as it addressed views held within the TNI about the supposed influx of Chinese workers and the PKI, which were amplified by former TNI commander Gatot Nurmantyo during his tenure.

“The President’s instruction can be interpreted as his way of rebuilding trust with the TNI, as if he is saying to [the TNI] “just verify it by yourself” [regarding the rumors],” Al-Araf said.

The call for the army’s involvement in monitoring foreign workers, however, was not in line with the goals of military reform, especially as it would put the TNI’s professionalism at risk, Institute for Defense and Security Studies executive director Mufti Makarim said.

“Naturally, [military] personnel may think they have a dual function, which is no longer part of our democracy,” Mufti said, referring to the TNI’s dual function during the New Order era that allowed the TNI to become involved in politics, which ended in 1998 with Soeharto’s downfall.

Candra rebuffed the concerns, saying that the army would not return to its New Order era stance.