Vania Rossa, Cornelius Juan Prawira – The growing role of the military in the civilian sphere through various government policies has once again drawn attention.
The Civil Society Coalition for Security Sector Reform along with several civil society figures, believes this situation has the potential to threaten civilian supremacy, the protection of human rights and the security sector reform agenda championed since the 1998 reformasi era – the period following the overthrow of former president Suharto.
These concerns were expressed at the launch of the petition and public discussion titled "The Dangers of Remilitarisation for Democracy", which was held at the Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial) offices in Jakarta on Wednesday July 29.
The petition calls on the government to stop practices deemed to restore military dominance in civilian life. As of its launch, the petition has been signed by 58 civil society organisations and 274 individuals, including community leaders, academics and human rights activists.
Andalas University constitutional law expert Feri Amsari believes that the military's involvement in various civil positions and affairs contradicts the mandate of Article 30 of the 1945 Constitution, which stipulates that the Indonesian Military (TNI) functions as a tool of national defence.
According to Amsari, when active-duty soldiers are placed in civil positions or manage strategic projects and land issues, they potentially come into direct conflict with communities.
"At this point, accountability lies with the President. It is the President who caused this constitutional damage by mixing defence and civil affairs", said Amsari during an online discussion.
Amsari warned that resolving problems with a military approach risks triggering violence if applied in the civilian sphere.
Growing involvement in government programs
The coalition also highlighted the TNI's growing involvement in several government programs, ranging from the Free Nutritional Meals (MBG) program to the Red and White Village Cooperatives (KDMP) program.
Previously, the former head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Nanik S. Deyang, explained that the appointment of Major General Trenggono as BGN deputy chief was to strengthen the implementation of the MBG program, especially in underdeveloped, frontier and outermost (3T) regions.
However, Imparsial senior researcher Al Araf believes that the military's involvement in the education, economic, and social sectors indicates a tendency towards an increasingly centralised government.
According to Araf, this situation could actually diminish the TNI's professionalism as a defence institution.
"The main problem lies with Prabowo, as President, who has politicised the military for his project to [consolidate] his power. The military is a defence tool, not a development tool", said Araf.
He also believes that the jargon "The TNI from the people, for the people" should not be used to legitimise expanding the military's role beyond defence.
Allegations of violence highlighted
The Coalition also cited data from the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), which recorded 20 incidents of torture allegedly involving members of the TNI between January and April 2026. Of these cases, 28 victims were injured and five died.
Furthermore, they also highlighted the deaths of five prospective managers of the KDMP and the Red and White Fishers Cooperative (KNMP) while undergoing basic military training as of mid-June 2026.
Meanwhile, National Student Front (FMN) central leader Sympati Dimas Rafi'I believes that civilians are increasingly being positioned as objects of military approaches through various development policies.
According to Rafi'I, the deployment of military units in rural areas also has the potential to increase the vulnerability of communities with limited access to information.
"The Prabowo Subianto administration is positioning civilians, positioning the people as the target of its military operations", said Rafi'I.
Four Coalition demands
Through the petition, the Civil Society Coalition for Security Sector Reform conveyed four demands to the government and the House of Representatives (DPR):
1. Halt basic military training (Latsarmil) program and various forms of military training for civilians.
2. Evaluate all policies involving the TNI in the civilian sphere and restore the TNI's function as a national defence institution.
3. Revise Law Number 31/1997 on Military Justice so that TNI personnel who commit general crimes are tried in general courts, as mandated by People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Decree Number VII of 2000.
4. Halt the formation of Territorial Development Battalions and the expansion of territorial commands, as they are deemed inconsistent with the TNI Law and the spirit of 1998 reform.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Koalisi Masyarakat Sipil Peringatkan Bahaya Dominasi Militer, Sebut Demokrasi dan HAM Terancam".]