TNI Bill Has Chance to be Discussed Quickly, DPR Urged Not to Give Blank Check

JAKARTA, KOMPAS - The House of Representatives has opened the possibility of a swift discussion on the revision of Law Number 34 of 2004 concerning the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), especially if the articles to be amended are not too many. However, the public urges the House of Representatives not to give a blank check to the government regarding the placement of military personnel in civilian positions in the discussion of the TNI Law revision. This is because if the expansion of positions for the military through the revision of the TNI Law materializes, the dual function of the Armed Forces as during the New Order era is feared to be revived.

The government and the House of Representatives continue to discuss the TNI Bill despite opposition from students. The TNI Bill has garnered resistance from students in various regions due to concerns that it would increase the number of active TNI soldiers occupying civilian positions, potentially leading to repression and hindering democratic life.

The Deputy Chairman of Commission I of the House of Representatives, Dave Laksono, on Wednesday (19/2/2025), stated that so far Commission I of the House of Representatives has not scheduled a discussion on the TNI Bill. Considering that this week only has a few working days left, it is highly likely that the discussion can only begin next week.

He also did not deny that the discussion of the TNI Bill would proceed quickly if there were only a few articles to be discussed. "We will schedule it soon to start the discussion. The discussion of the TNI Bill should not take too long if there are only a few articles to be discussed," he asserted.

Previously, at the plenary session of the DPR, Tuesday (18/2/2025), the leadership of the DPR assigned Commission I to discuss the TNI Bill with the government.

We will soon schedule it to begin discussions. The discussion of the TNI Bill should not take too long if only a few articles are to be discussed.

Dave stated that the public does not need to worry excessively about the revision of the TNI Law. He is confident and guarantees that repression and the obstruction of democracy will not occur in the current era of democracy. It is also impossible for the Dual Function of ABRI to be revived.

"I can assure and guarantee that such a thing is impossible to happen in an era of open democracy, where the media can disseminate news quickly and the public is always critical of the government," he said.

One of the articles in Law Number 34 of 2004 concerning the TNI that is proposed to be amended is Article 47. This article regulates the placement of active TNI soldiers in various ministries and civil institutions. This article is proposed to be expanded by adding the phrase "as well as other ministries/institutions that require the expertise of active soldiers in accordance with the President's policy".

This means that every military soldier who has received permission from the president is allowed to fill a position in government or the civil sector without having to resign from his military position.

Sociologist from Gadjah Mada University (UGM), Yogyakarta, Muhammad Najib Azca, reminded the DPR to be very careful in discussing the TNI Bill with the government. The DPR should listen to the voice of the people by emphasizing the rule that positions in the civilian sector do not need to be filled by the military.

"This revision must be carefully considered. Don't just give a blank check to the government to fill any position needed. There must be a serious public discussion," he said.

Najib believes that the proposed changes to Article 47 of the TNI Law show the government's efforts to secure positions for the military. He warned that the decision could potentially restore the ABRI's Dual Function like the New Order era.

In fact, based on the constitution, military personnel may only fill government positions in the defense and security sector, such as the State Intelligence Agency, National Resilience Institute, National Defense Council, and the National Search and Rescue Agency.

"The dual function of ABRI has been eliminated. Now it has started to re-emerge, even since the second term of Joko Widodo's government. Recently, it has become more widespread in the government of President Prabowo Subianto," said Najib.

He referred to the case of the appointment of a high-ranking TNI AD officer, Novi Helmy Prasetya as the President Director of Bulog. The appointment had drawn controversy from various circles, because the position was not one of the positions that could be filled by active soldiers. Although it was stated that Novi had retired from military service, the decision was considered to restore the Dual Function of ABRI as in the New Order era.

Najib saw that the government's tendency to expand military positions emerged in the Jokowi era because it wanted to get military protection. However, in the Prabowo era, the possibility of it expanding is greater with the president's background in the military.

Not stopping there, the former Head of the Center for Security and Peace Studies (PSKP) UGM also highlighted another issue that needs to be considered, namely public sentiment towards the filling of civilian positions by the military. Najib said that the public still considers the military to be superior values.

He quoted from the results of a Kompas survey in March 2024, as many as 41.1 percent of respondents stated that they did not agree if civil positions were filled by active TNI-Polri. However, the same percentage was shown in the community who agreed. In fact, as many as 5.8 percent stated that they strongly agreed.

"There is a belief in militarism, where military values are considered superior to civilian ones. There needs to be a de-militarization effort to make people aware that civilian affairs do not require the military," Najib explained.

This phenomenon emerged due to militarization or the entry of the TNI/Polri into civilian positions that were widely carried out in the New Order era. The community grew positive sentiments towards the military which were then called militarism. Therefore, until now, the rejection of the expansion of military positions has not received a maximum response from the community.

Unfortunately, Najib continued, both of these things are already deeply rooted and difficult to de-militarize in society. An example can be seen in various civil organizations that adopt military values, such as community organizations and political party task forces.

Najib revealed that if we look back, Indonesia is currently the only country other than Vietnam that has implemented a military territorial structure for a long time. This system places military commands from the national to regional levels.

"I think this is a legacy of the guerrilla war. The problem is that this structure has been preserved until today. In fact, this structure is not compatible with democracy," Najib said.

According to him, political parties should be able to act as public political representation and emphasize that civilian sectors do not need to be filled by the military. In addition, public education to support de-militarism needs to be intensified.

"The military should remain in the defense function. Although there are non-military areas that can be given, do not remove the boundaries so that it seems to revive the system in the New Order era," he concluded.