Irfan Kamil, Robertus Belarminus, Jakarta – Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) Chairperson Muhammad Isnur says that a police report on an alleged commotion during a House of Representatives (DPR) Commission I Working Committee (Panja) meeting discussing the Draft Law on the Indonesian Military Law (RUU TNI) on Saturday March 15 is wrong.
This was conveyed by Isnur in response to a report by the Fairmont Hotel security in Central Jakarta to the Jakarta Metro Jaya Metropolitan Police regarding an incident during the meeting at the hotel.
According to Isnur, if the report refers to the protest action by the Civil Society Coalition for Security Sector Reform against a closed meeting at the five-star hotel, the police should not process the report.
"This report is wrong and should not be processed by the police. In this case, the public was in fact being harmed because the DPR was discussing revisions to the TNI Law which contains articles on the TNI's dwi-fungsi [dual function] that will harm the public stealthily and undemocratically, but now the ordinary people who conveyed criticisms and protests are in fact also being threatened with punishment", Isnur told Kompas.com on Sunday March 16.
Isnur is of the view that the police report made by Fairmont Hotel security is aimed at criminalising and silencing public opinion and expression.
"Especially since it's related to criticisms by civil society that earlier held a protest interrupting a closed meeting discussion held by the DPR's Panja and the government related to the RUU TNI, which is suspected of seeking to restore the practice of ABRI's [the name of the TNI during the New Order regime of former president Suharto] dwi-fungsi, at a luxury hotel in the midst of the uproar over the government's [budget] efficiency [policy]", he said.
Meanwhile, Metro Jaya Police Public Relations Division Head Senior Commissioner Ade Ary Syam said that they received report number LP/B/1876/III/2025/SPKT/Polda Metro Jaya on Saturday.
"The Metro Jaya regional police received a report of alleged criminal acts disturbing public order and/or acts of force accompanied by threats of violence and/or insulting the authorities or legal entities in Indonesia, which was reported by RYR (the reporter as security at the Hotel Fairmont, Jakarta)", said Syam in a written statement on Sunday.
Syam explained that the reported incident was still under investigation and that is suspected to be related to several articles in the Criminal Code.
"Disturbing public order and/or acts of force accompanied by threats of violence and/or insulting the authorities or legal entities in Indonesia/Article 172 and/or Article 212 and/or Article 335 and/or Article 335 and/or Article 503 and/or Article 207 of Law Number 1/1946 on the Criminal Code", said Syam.
He explained that the incident began when a number of people began shouting in front of the meeting room at the hotel where the TNI bill was being discussed.
"Hotel Fairmont security, Jakarta, explained that at around 6 pm local time there were around three people who claimed to be from the Civil Society Coalition who entered the Fairmont Hotel. Then, the group began shouting in front of the meeting room discussing the TNI Law revisions so that the meeting was stopped because it was beign held secretly and was closed", Syam said.
The three Civil Society Coalition for Security Sector Reform activists pounded on the door of the working committee meeting that was being held at the Ruby 1 and 2 rooms at the Fairmont Hotel.
Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) activist Andrie Yunus, who was wearing a black shirt, could be seen forcing his way into the meeting room. However, he was blocked by two staff members wearing batik shirts. He was then pushed out and fell.
"Wow, your pushing me, friends, then this is how we're repressed", he said as he got up again.
Yunus along with two other activists then shouted their demands in front of the closed door. They requested that the discussion of the TNI bill be stopped.
"We reject the discussions inside. We reject ABRI's dwi-fungsi", Yunus shouted.
"Stop the discussions on dwi-fungsi in the TNI bill, stop, stop the ladies and gentlemen", he said.
"We're asking for it to be stopped because the process is being carried out secretly and behind closed doors", he reiterated.
They then held up a number of posters as a form of protest against the discussions being held at a luxury hotel.
"The DPR and the government discussing the RUU TNI at a luxury hotel on the weekend, hello efficiency?", read a poster that was held up high by Yunus.
Another poster read "Like there's not enough work, take a second job", alluding to the Army trying to solve the lack of jobs for officers by placing them in civilian posts and the potential return of the TNI's dwi-fungsi through the revisions to the TNI Law.
There was also a poster that read "Just a replacement, how about it, TNI becoming ASN, civilians carrying arms", alluding to civilian positions in the revisions to the TNI Law that will be allowed to be occupied by active TNI officers in place of state civil servants (ASN).
The three activists also shouted out demands calling for an end to the discussions because they are closed and do not provide space for public participation. "End this ladies and gentleman. The process is very closed. There's no involvement of the ordinary people here", they said.
- A video of the protest action at the Fairmont Hotel can be viewed here: https://www.cnnindonesia.com/nasional/20250315190114-24-1209246/video-momen-koalisi-sipil-geruduk-rapat-tertutup-revisi-uu-tni
[Translated by James Balowski. Some text was added to clarify the meeting of the posters. The original title of the article was "YLBHI Sebut Laporan Polisi Terkait Keributan di Rapat RUU TNI Keliru".]
