JakartaPost-March 22, 2025
Concerns are mounting among pro-democracy activists that the country may be slipping back into the dark days of former president Soeharto’s authoritarian New Order, when the Indonesian Military (TNI) dominated public life, following the House of Representatives’ decision to defy public opposition and push through a law expanding the TNI’s role in government. Street protests broke out in multiple cities on Thursday shortly after the House, dominated by parties supporting former Army general President Prabowo Subianto, passed a contentious revision to the Indonesian Military (TNI) Law, which will allocate more civilian posts for military officers. Tensions escalated later in the evening as protesters clashed with security personnel outside the legislative complex in Central Jakarta, with dozens of students attempting to force their way through the complex’s gates and police firing tear gas and water cannon to disperse the crowd. Scores of unarmed rally participants, including University of Indonesia (UI) students, were beaten and kicked by security personnel, the university’s protest coordinator Muhammad Fawwaz Farhan Farabi told The Jakarta Post on Friday. The demonstrations continued on Friday, with students in Aceh and South Kalimantan organizing peaceful rallies and holding joint prayers in front of their local Regional Legislative Council buildings. They oppose the revised law, which they believe will blur the lines between the military and civilian spheres. Many citizens have also turned to social media to express their anger and frustration over lawmakers’ decision to pass the new law. After the passage of the bill and Thursday’s violent protests, civil society groups and students mourned the death of the Reform era by declaring #RIP Reformasi (RIP Reform) on social media. Other hashtags such as #TolakRUUTNI (reject the TNI bill) and #IndonesiaGelap (dark Indonesia) have also gone viral, reflecting the growing discontent online. Despite the protests, Prabowo will soon promulgate the law, said politician Ahmad Muzani from the President’s Gerindra Party. He insisted that the revision would not usher in another New Order era as the bill includes a provision requiring active-duty soldiers to retire early before holding civilian posts outside the list of eligible placements. The revision has raised concerns among pro-democracy activists who fear that expanding the military in civilian roles will restore the dwifungsi (dual function) of the armed forces, which they had under Soeharto. Read more at: https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2025/03/22/rip-reform-democracy-advocates-sound-alarm-over-return-of-new-order.html.
