Jakarta – Indonesia is debating expanding the role of the country's vast military under President Prabowo Subianto, including by allowing active armed forces personnel to take up civilian posts in ways not seen since the dismantling of strongman Suharto's authoritarian systems decades ago.
Lawmakers met on March 4 for a second day to weigh views on a long-brewing revision to the South-east Asian nation's military law that could pave the way for active military personnel to hold positions in ministries and government agencies and potentially lift a ban on officers from engaging in business activities.
The talks, the first round of parliamentary meetings since Mr Prabowo appointed representatives to revive the Bill in February, are renewing concerns among some political observers that the world's third-largest democracy could backslide to an era when the country's government and wide swathes of business was largely run by its military elite.
Under the decades-long rule of authoritarian leader Suharto, the military controlled a number of the country's marquee state-owned enterprises and partnered with private businesses in sectors ranging from timber and manufacturing to golf courses, while active-duty personnel were allowed to serve as civilian leaders such as mayors and governors.
Much of that was undone following Mr Suharto's ouster amid street protests in the late 1990s, with Indonesia introducing legislation barring a "dual-function" system that had allowed the military to dominate both defence and civilian governance.
Lawmakers in a two-hour session with experts on March 3 focused specifically on the question of active-duty officers in civilian positions.
Under current law, such officers can only hold top positions in a handful of government agencies primarily related to security and defence including the Defence Ministry, the State Intelligence Agency and the National Narcotics Agency. The military is also prohibited from engaging in business activities or directly participating in politics.
Efforts to revise the military law have waxed and waned in recent years.
Proponents argue that the legislation, now more than 20 years old, needs updating, including by raising the retirement age in line with other institutions and to reflect a need for military expertise to address changing threats. A version of the Bill stalled in 2024 amid criticism that it would resurrect the military's old role.
The drive now is gathering fresh steam under Mr Prabowo, with lawmakers granting the Bill priority status in 2025.
The president, who has not spoken publicly about his reasons for supporting new legislation, has been seeking to raise the profile and reach of the region's largest military in the early months of his five-year term.
The Indonesian National Armed Forces, or Tentara Nasional Indonesia, has seen a growing number of recruits over the years and boasts over 400,000 active personnel, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Singapore.
Since assuming office in October, the former general has appointed active military officers to civilian posts, including as his Cabinet secretary and as internal advisers to the Transportation and Agriculture Ministries, which critics say breach existing law.
The army has also played a role in cooking food for his nationwide free school-meals programme, while soldiers have been deployed to aid his food self-sufficiency drive.
In one sign of the ex-general's martial sensibilities last week, hundreds of regional leaders were required to attend a bootcamp-style training session at a military academy in which they donned army fatigues as part of team-building exercises. Cabinet ministers did the same in 2024 at a retreat hosted by the president.
Mr Tubagus Hasanuddin, an opposition-party lawmaker, said parliament is currently awaiting updated draft legislation from the government before talks enter the next stage. "We are not in a hurry," he said.
Prominent voices have emerged in opposition to some of the proposals.
Former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a one-time army general widely credited for his commitment to keeping government and military separate during his decade in power, last week told members of his party that active military personnel must resign before taking up government positions.
Others said the Bill could damage what has been one of South-east Asia's most stable democracies.
Democracy would be "effectively dismantled", said Ms Bivitri Susanti, a legal expert and lecturer from the Indonesia Jentera School of Law. "They want the military to openly infiltrate all sectors," she added. "This will be the death of democracy."
Source: https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/indonesia-debates-bigger-role-for-military-under-prabow