People Work Together to Reject Revision of TNI Law

From day to day, people seem to be endlessly presented with new problems. Whether the source is from the government or the political elite. The tangled tangle of problems fosters solidarity and public awareness of various important issues concerning the people's livelihood.

Unlike other days, vehicles could not enter through the Pancasila Gate of the DPR/MPR/DPD Building, Jakarta, Thursday (3/20/2025). The entrance for vehicles to the area of the people's representatives' offices was blocked by three small tents set up by a group of residents since early morning, around 00.00. Until 09.30, the three tents were still standing upright.

Salsa (26) is one of the residents who helped set up the camp. She deliberately spent the night with dozens of friends she knew from social media X after being united by the hashtag, #TolakRUUTNI. The plan rolled spontaneously considering that that day the revision of the TNI Law would be ratified in the DPR Plenary Session.

The people who were gathering had various backgrounds, from students to workers. They also did not represent a particular community. They were just united as fellow citizens who had common concerns.

"It all just happened. This unrest had been there since the night before. So, we thought, let's just block the entrance rather than let it pass," said Salsa.

Spending the night in front of the gate of the people's representative office was not easy. Salsa and her friends faced various disturbances. They were visited by security forces and asked to move their campsite. However, they flatly refused the request.

Indeed, the tent was already up. Salsa and her friends could have lain down for a while waiting for the trial to be held in the morning. However, they were too worried about missing the ratification of the TNI Bill. As a result, they stayed awake until a few moments before the trial began.

“All night, we just chatted. We couldn’t sleep either. We were all over the place. Yesterday, the meeting was held in a luxury hotel. Secretly too. Are we going to get caught again?” said Salsa.

During the night, solidarity among residents came not only in the form of presence at the campsite. There were some people who volunteered to send them food as friends to guard. The remains of the food were visible from the fast food wrappers around the tent.

Until the trial time came, Salsa was still unable to close her eyes. On the contrary, her eyes shone brighter and brighter. One by one, other demonstrators dressed in black continued to arrive. Unfortunately, they could only be held back outside the gate. The police suddenly closed the gate that was initially slightly opened.

Then, the protesters were forced to watch the trial from a live YouTube broadcast. The atmosphere immediately heated up when they heard the revision of the TNI Law was passed. Shouts of rejection were heard sporadically as they approached the iron gate that had been tightly closed.

Having been awake all night, Salsa and her friends were again caught in a snarl. The DPR's decision to ratify the revision was very regrettable for her. According to her, it denied the spirit of reform that prioritizes civilian supremacy. Moreover, the armed forces have a leadership mechanism that relies on centralized command.

"This civil service cannot be solely through command. Maybe there will be no more dialogue. Criticism will not be heard. The space for freedom of expression will be increasingly narrow," said Salsa.

Even though it has been ratified, Salsa will not stop fighting. As much as possible, she demands that the revision of the TNI Law be canceled. Therefore, she continues the action with other community elements in the main gate area of the DPR.

At that point, students from various universities had already arrived. Some of the universities include the University of Indonesia, Muhammadiyah University of Jakarta, National University, Trisakti, and Muhammadiyah Prof. DR Hamka University (Uhamka). Taking turns, they delivered orations. Even when it was raining.

"It turns out that for members of the DPR, the voice of the people is not more important than the voice of the TNI. So it is very unfortunate that the ratification was very hasty and seemed to ignore the voice of the people," said President of BEM Uhamka, Agus Salim, who was also the field coordinator of the action.

Unfortunately, Agus said, the government also seemed to always create controversy. Time and again, they issued policies that sparked public debate, then revised them as if they were heroes. The series of problems caused the public to become increasingly furious. Community movements were formed naturally.

"Too many problems arise from day to day. Don't blame us as civil society to keep moving," said Agus.

Trisakti University Student President Faiz Nabawi Mulya said that the awareness of the movement was based on history. Moreover, the university was one of the ones that drove the reformation. Several students from the university also died as victims in the incident.

"That spirit is what makes us, it is our intention to continue to oversee the big reform agendas," said Faiz. 

According to Faiz, the ratification of the revision of the TNI Law proves that the DPR has ignored civil rights. As if the people were not involved in making the decision. Because, the ratification suddenly happened in a plenary session.

In his action, Faiz asked the government to continue to echo civil supremacy. Don't let the dual function of the TNI be reborn. He fears that the militaristic government system will disrupt the democracy that has been going on so far.

"Ultimately, a government based on militarism will tend to have an authoritarian system and style of government," said Faiz.

It was not only students who took part in the action. A handful of housewives did not want to be left behind. That is what Hesti (36), a Banten resident, and several of her friends did. On that occasion, she donated logistics in the form of free drinks and food to the masses.

In fact, the TNI Law is so far from the world of Hesti and her friends. However, she felt it was important to take action because the state seemed to never get tired of adding problems to its citizens. She also demonstrated more than once or twice. Previously, she had also participated in the "Dark Indonesia" action.

"Maybe this is the climax, huh? All needs are getting more expensive. People's purchasing power is decreasing. Especially entrepreneurs like me are very affected. However, in conditions like this, they are prioritizing the revision of the TNI Law. What is the urgency?" said Hesti.

Demonstrations during the administration of President Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka occurred continuously. The policies issued by the government and political elites also seemed to never be in accordance with the public's wishes. The growing public awareness to diligently remind officials who forget their people is like a breath of fresh air for democracy.