TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Central Coordinator of the Executive Board of the All-Indonesia Student Executive Bodies or BEM SI, Herianto, has urged students and the public to strongly reject the plan to reintroduce the dual function of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) through the revision of the TNI Law.

Herianto believes that the revision of the TNI Law has the potential to revive the dual function of the TNI, as it threatens civilian supremacy, human rights, and the future of reform. "Let's take to the streets and voice our rejection! Press the House of Representatives to reject the TNI Bill that contradicts the aspirations of the reform!" said Herianto in a statement to Tempo on Monday, March 17, 2025. However, Herianto has not yet revealed when the action will take place.

According to Herianto, the military should focus on national defense and should not interfere in civilian positions and bureaucracy. Moreover, he stated that the dual function of the TNI betrays the aspirations of the reform, which demands the separation of the TNI's role in the civilian domain. He emphasized that military involvement in the civilian domain could worsen democracy and threaten civil liberties.

The Coordinator of the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (Kontras), Dimas Bagus Arya, stated that the Draft Amendment to Law Number 34 of 2004 concerning the TNI, or the TNI Law revision, is clearly dangerous if it does not involve public participation. The rushed process is seen as potentially overlooking the aspirations of the civilian coalition.

"There are concerns that the criticized articles are being reintroduced in the Bill that will be passed," said Dimas Bagus to Tempo on Sunday, March 16, 2025.

Kontras believes that there are two dangerous articles in the current TNI Law revision. First, article 7 paragraph 2, which regulates authority in military operations other than war. The supervision and assistance functions of the TNI are expanded to include cyber space, narcotics, and the protection of Indonesian nationals and national interests abroad.

Then, there is article 47 paragraph 2, which is considered problematic. In the previous law, this regulation stipulates the limits of the TNI's duties in civilian institutions. The scope of civilian positions that soldiers can occupy may be expanded, as outlined in Article 47 of the Inventory List of problems in the law.

In Article 47 paragraph (2) of the TNI Law, it is stated that active personnel can only hold civilian positions in ten ministries/agencies, namely the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, and the President's Military Secretariat. According to this regulation, active TNI personnel may be assigned to positions in the State Intelligence Agency, the National Encryption Agency, the National Resilience Institute, the National Defense Council, National Search and Rescue (SAR), the National Narcotics Agency, and the Supreme Court.

Through the TNI Law revision, which is contained in the Draft Bill, the government proposed to add five more ministry/agency positions that can be filled by active personnel. These are the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, the National Disaster Management Agency, the National Counterterrorism Agency, the Maritime Security Agency, and the Attorney General's Office.

The House of Representatives held a marathon meeting with the government because members of the House will begin their recess in each electoral district on March 21, 2025. The House Commission I in early March 2025 invited several experts and requested input. On March 11, 2025, the House of Representatives held a working meeting with Minister of Defense Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin to discuss the follow-up changes to the military regulations in Indonesia.

On March 14 and 15, 2025, the Working Committee for the Revision of the TNI Law held a closed meeting at the Fairmont Hotel in Central Jakarta. Representatives from the Civil Coalition held a direct interruption action at the location of the committee's meeting yesterday.

Daniel Ahmad Fajri contributed to the writing of this article.

Editor’s Choice: Lecturers Coalition Not Surprised by Soon-to-be-Passed Revision of TNI Law

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News