Yakub Pryatama Wijayaatmaja, Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid has highlighted several points that are being changed in the revisions to Law Number 34/2004 on the Indonesian Military (UU TNI). Included among these points is the assignment of soldiers to civilian positions.
The government is expanding the scope of civilian positions in ministries and institutions that can be held by active TNI soldiers. Originally numbered at 10, it is now being proposed that this be increased to 15. Hamid called the changes a step back for democracy in Indonesia.
"Yet the 98 reformasi struggle made great effort to return the TNI to the barracks as a professional defence tool and not interfere in civilian affairs", Hamid told Media Indonesia on Tuesday March 11.
Usman said that the expansion of this role would restore the TNI's dwi-fungsi (the dual function of ABRI as the TNI was known during the era of former president Suharto) at the level of the civilian bureaucracy, both in ministries and state institutions.
"Clearly this is a retreat in the course of post-1998 reform which placed the military as a tool of national defence", he said.
The following are the 15 ministries and government institutions that can be occupied by active TNI soldiers under the proposed revisions to the TNI Law:
1. Coordinating Security and Politics Affairs (Korbid Polkam)
2. State Defence
3. Presidential Military Secretariat (Setmil Pres)
4. State Intelligence Agency (BIN)
5. National Cyber and Encryption Agency (BSSN)
6. National Resilience Institute (Lemhanas)
7. National Defence Council (DPN)
8. National Search and Rescue Agency (SAR)
9. National Narcotics Agency (BBN)
10. Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
11. National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB)
12. National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT)
13. Maritime Security
14. Attorney General's Office
15. Supreme Court
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Amnesty Indonesia Sebut Revisi UU TNI Sebagai Langkah Mundur".]
