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View all search resultsAnalysis: To some, TNI anniversary’s show of force sends negative vibes
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Indonesian Navy personnel walk next to the National Monument (Monas) during the celebration of the 78th anniversary of the Indonesian Military (TNI) in Jakarta on Oct. 5, 2023. (AFP/Yasuyoshi Chiba)
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elebrating its 80th anniversary, the Indonesian Military (TNI) held a massive parade in Jakarta on Oct. 5, but amid growing concerns about the military intruding more and more into the political arena, the display of power may have sent the wrong message to some quarters about Indonesia’s democracy, already in peril.
The trend toward militarization grew under President Prabowo Subianto, a retired Army general. Since his inauguration in October 2024, he has brought in more military types into the government, restructured and expanded the size of the military, and now allowed TNI to handle internal security, which should be the domain of the National Police (Polri).
What little pushback there is has primarily come from students and civil society organizations, which have raised the alarm of the nation heading back toward authoritarianism.
The fiesta with thousands of people at Monas Square opposite the Presidential Palace, after Sunday’s parade, however, attested to the TNI’s popularity. The parade’s theme, “TNI Prime, TNI People, Indonesia Progresses,” went down well with the public.
The parade is said to be the biggest in the TNI’s 80-year history, involving more than 133,000 personnel from all three services, Army, Navy, and Air Force, and displaying their collection of modern weapons. They also demonstrated various skills like aerobatics, parachuting, and the use of martial arts in handling domestic disturbances.
The parade was aimed at the domestic rather than international public and potential foreign aggressors. It is public knowledge that the TNI still falls short of meeting the minimum essential force (MEF) required to be able to defend the country’s territorial sovereignty.
For much of the past 15 years, the TNI had focused and invested in building its strength to reach the MEF, but because of financial constraints, it had only reached less than 80 percent by the 2024 deadline. Since Prabowo took charge, this figure has not been made public as the TNI shifted its focus to dealing more with internal affairs.
