Robertus Belarminus, Jakarta – Military observer and Chairperson of the Centra Initiative Working Group, Al Araf, says that the reform of the Indonesian Military (TNI) has experienced a setback since the administration of the 7th president of the Republic of Indonesia, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, and has been further strengthened under the regime of President Prabowo Subianto.
One indicator is the military's increasing involvement in non-defence areas.
"Empirically, if we observe, the Jokowi administration is said to be the regime that has gave rise to setbacks for TNI reform and gave the military space to penetrate too far into non-defence areas", said Al Araf, at the launch of a Prisma Journal special edition titled "Civil-Military Relations in the Midst of a Democratic Crisis", on Tuesday September 16.
He gave the example of how during the Widodo era, the TNI was involved in rice field development programs, food security, national strategic projects and even handling mass demonstrations and labour issues.
According to Al Araf, these moves were similar to the ABRI's (the Indonesian Armed Forces as it was known) dual function (dwi-fungsi) practiced during the New Order era of former president Suharto, where the military moved out of its defence function and into the socio-political realm.
"The military's primary function is defence. So, when it strays far beyond that, when it manages rice paddy development programs, food security, and then national strategic projects, gets involved in resolving mass protests, handles labour issues, and so on", he said.
"I can say that, yes, that's dwi-fungsi. It goes beyond defence and into other socio-political functions", he continued.
According to Al Arif, what Widodo opened was a "Pandora's box" which in the current era has actually been opened wider. He said that there are at least six military steps at reconsolidation currently taking place.
First, reconsolidating regulations by revising the TNI Law to make it easier for the military to enter non-defence areas.
Second, structural reconsolidation by establishing territorial and combat battalions in various regions.
Third, role reconsolidation through military involvement in non-combat programs, including food security.
Fourth, economic reconsolidation, which opens up opportunities for the return of military businesses in new formats.
Fifth, public reconsolidation by positioning the military as a key variable in politics and the public sphere.
Sixth, political reconsolidation by redistributing TNI personnel to civilian positions, including ministries and state institutions.
"The six steps of military reconsolidation are nothing more than what is taking place and is underway today to shore up the existing government's risks and to maintain the existing government regime", Al Araf said.
He noted that civil-military relations should be directed towards objective civilian control, namely civilians controlling the military to build defence professionalism.
However, what is actually happening was subjective civilian control, where the military is being politicised in the interests of the regime.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Al Araf Sebut Kemunduran Reformasi TNI Dimulai Sejak Era Jokowi".]