The passing of controversial legislation in Indonesia has led to concerns. According to multiple sources including the BBC and CNN, the parliament of Indonesia passed changes to the legislation in March this year that now allows a bigger role of the military in the government. Military officers will be able to take up the positions in the government, even without first retiring or resigning from the armed forces — if implemented — leading to the protests of hundreds of pro-democracy activists outside the parliament in the Capital City of Indonesia. But it remains unclear whether the changes in the legislation will bring good political and civic outcomes and whether the protests will end soon.
The legislation allowed the military to hold positions in 10 civilian institutions in the past but the changes will allow for 14 civilian institutions including the Attorney General’s Office, Supreme Court and Coordinating Ministry for Political and Security Affairs, which previously required officers to retire or resign from service. But the revised Indonesian Military or Tentara National Indonesia, backed by President Prabowo Subianto, who is a former special forces commander and Suharto’s son-in-law, can lead to political, governance based and other impacts, though these have been justified as being consistent with democratic values and human rights and able to enhance efficiency in several sectors and as necessary to address modern security threats, including geopolitical tensions and non-traditional challenges like cyber warfare.
But the amendment in the legislation, which was rushed through without proper public participation, may blur the line between civilian governance and the authority of the military, lessen the space for democratic politics and reduce civil space. Among others, the changes will also reduce accountability in the government and foster the violation of human rights. As a further consequence, the changes can encourage the military dictatorship by reviving the dual-function doctrine of Suharto’s New Order regime, where military officers held key government positions that allowed the military to control governance and suppress opposition during the Suharto regime which lasted 32 years until he was forced out of office and the practice was abolished under the reforms in 1998.
Photo credit: https://edition.cnn.com/.
Amidst the growing authoritarianism in Indonesia in the last few years, the protests of students and rights organizations are likely to continue in the days ahead in Indonesia, a hard-won but fragile democracy but generally considered Southeast Asia’s democratic beacon, though the main opposition party endorsed the changes in the law — despite its initial opposition to it. The public uproar against the bill has in the meantime grown and student and activist organizations have organized rallies in Jakarta and other cities, clashed with riot police and torn down parliamentary fences. Many protesters have said to continue protesting until they claim victory.
Stability and state security are obviously vital but democratic governance and civil liberties are also crucial in Indonesia. Given the remarkable negative outcomes, the reasoned concerns of the protesters are desired to be addressed. Addressing concerns will lead to the betterment of not only politics but also civil liberties. Talks to the protesters will be helpful in addressing the concerns. But the protesters also need to be allowed for peaceful protests and the government needs to refrain from using force on the protests, along with avoiding arbitrary arrests and detention.
Amir M Sayem
Chief Editor
Dhaka Opinion Magazine
