March 21, 2025
JAKARTA – After the fall of Soeharto and his authoritarian regime in May 1998, our nation vowed never to give the Indonesian Military (TNI) the tools to undermine civilian rule again.
But after a quarter century, we seem to have forgotten the lessons of that period. First, former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo cozied up to the TNI in his effort to consolidate power, and now his successor, President Prabowo Subianto, is ushering the nation back to the old days, when the military ruled the roost under the pretext of security and stability.
This alarming tendency has manifested most recently in the revision of the 2004 TNI Law, which was passed on Thursday with unanimous support from all eight party factions in the House of Representatives.
When Prabowo took office as the country’s eighth president in October of last year, the former Army general assured the nation he would uphold civilian supremacy as a crucial feature of democracy.
But his moves since taking office have shown how seriously he takes this promise. Even before the TNI Law was amended, his government was placing active military officers in strategic posts at civilian institutions.
The previous version of the TNI Law allowed military officers to hold posts in 10 civilian institutions involved in security and defense affairs. Following the hasty revision, which was marked by a deliberate lack of transparency, 14 civilian institutions are now open to active TNI officers.
The dwifungsi (dual function) doctrine that typified the New Order, in which the military played an outsize role in civilian affairs and suppressing dissent, may not return immediately. But unless efforts are made to fight it, it will creep back gradually but insistently, given the severe lack of effective checks and balances in our current political climate. The country’s inadequate opposition in particular makes such a silent coup much easier.
Prabowo’s goal of expanding the TNI’s role in civilian affairs is evident in the direct involvement of soldiers in his signature policy programs, such as the free nutritious meals and food self-sufficiency programs. He has also provided management and business courses for 200 colonels who will be assigned to state-owned enterprises.
The revised law has expanded the TNI’s areas of non-war operation from 14 to 16. Now, the military is permitted to defend against cyber threats and is entitled to protect citizens and national interests overseas.
In a nutshell, the revised law paves the way for greater TNI meddling in the civilian domain. Not only is the substance of the revision worrying, the revision process was flawed as it failed to involve meaningful public consultation. It was not even on the National Legislation Program priority list for 2025.
With a former Army general in the highest office, the country will likely experience a bolder, brasher TNI in the years to come.
Lest we forget, we managed to transform our nation into the world’s third-largest democracy through the sweeping reforms of the post-New Order period more than 25 years ago. As part of these reforms, the Indonesian people ordered the military back to the barracks to develop into a professional force that respected the bounds of its authority.
At a glance, the recent revision, which focused only on three articles, may not look so damaging to our democracy. But do not be misled by the TNI’s assurances that it would never reinstate dwifungsi, which gave it control over almost all aspects of life in the country.
Some people, especially members of Gen Z, who have never endured military brutality, may not be so concerned about the signs of creeping militarism. It is, therefore, the responsibility of democracy’s defenders to remind both the public and policymakers of the need to strengthen civil society and keep power in the hands of civilians.
The TNI Law revision should have instead focused on a new doctrine of military conflict that accounts for the changing geopolitical landscape and technological developments such as the military use of drones and artificial intelligence. It should not have been about awarding high-level civilian positions to soldiers.
We have no option but to keep fighting the new law, as the political establishment now presents essentially no obstacles to the revival of the TNI’s dual – if not multi – function.
No matter how difficult the job is, we must keep reminding Prabowo that under no circumstances will the Indonesian people allow the country to return to its dark past. And if Prabowo is the changed man he purports to be, the gemoy grandpa who courted a generation of voters who have never heard shots ring out on university campuses, he won’t either.