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Presidential candidates and their military reform agenda
The presidential candidates glaringly omit two critical issues of the country’s military reform: the need for robust civilian supremacy and the troubling trend of assigning active military personnel to civilian bureaucratic roles.
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Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen. Agus Subiyanto (right) congratulates Gen. Maruli Simanjuntak following the latter's inauguration as Army chief-of-staff at the State Palace in Jakarta on Nov. 29, 2023. (Antara/Hafidz Mubarak A)
Indonesia is bracing for its fifth direct presidential election, scheduled for Feb. 14, 2024. The race will feature the candidate pairs of Anies Baswedan-Muhaimin Iskandar, Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka and Ganjar Pranowo-Mahfud MD.
When the three tickets registered with the General Elections Commission (KPU) in late October, they submitted their manifestos. Drawing insights from these documents, this article delves into each candidate pair’s stance on the defense sector, offering the nuance that distinguishes their priorities while also highlighting crucial gaps in their agendas.
It is essential, however, to understand the current state of the Indonesian Military (TNI) reform. Since transitioning from a military dictatorship to democracy in 1998, Indonesia has been striving to professionalize its military. The objective is to transform the TNI into an effective state instrument for safeguarding national sovereignty against external threats, leaving behind its former role as the regime’s protector and its deep involvement in politics and civilian affairs.
The 25-year reform process saw significant milestones, such as the enactment of TNI Law No. 34/2004 which enhances civilian supremacy, prohibits military involvement in politics and limits the military’s role in civilian bureaucracy. Further, in 2010, the government introduced a progressive reform agenda by launching a 15-year weapon modernization program known as the Minimum Essential Forces (MEF) and revitalizing the national defense industries to promote self-reliance.
Despite these promising steps, challenges persist. The TNI Law has been poorly implemented, especially regarding deployment provisions for military operations other than war (MOOTW), which put civilian control in question (Natalie Sambhi, 2023). A growing trend of assigning military personnel to civilian bureaucratic positions also raises worries about a potential return of the military’s past involvement in civilian governance (news.detik.com accessed Nov. 30, 2023).
Additionally, there are concerns about the weapon modernization program and the revitalization of the national defense industries agenda, as they appear inconsistent and have achieved less than anticipated (mediaindonesia.com accessed Nov. 30, 2023).
Given these existing challenges, the question is how the presidential candidates address these problems, at least based on their vision-mission documents.
