Jakarta – The wave of protest actions opposing revisions to Law Number 34/2004 on the Indonesian Military (UU TNI) or the Draft Law on the TNI (RUU TNI) spread to a number of regions in Indonesia last week.
Opposition to the revisions, from social media to actions by students who took to the streets and statements by national figures and academics, have been articulated in the last few days. They have condemned the rushed and reckless discussions on the TNI Law – which have also been accused of being closed or secret – so that the law could be ratified before the House of Representatives (DPR) goes into recess on Thursday March 20 or today.
The DPR and the government were even said to have scheduled the ratification of the RUU TNI Bill at a plenary meeting later today.
Actions opposing the RUU TNI have been echoed by the public ranging from students, activists through to academics because it had the potential to revive the military's dwi-fungsi or dual function, which was abolished following reformasi – the political reform process that began in 1998.
On Wednesday March 19 protest actions were carried out in a number of regions around the country, and here are some of them:
Jakarta
Actions opposing the RUU TNI in Jakarta were held by students from the Trisakti University students in front of the parliamentary complex. They even managed to waylay a car transporting Minister for Legal Affairs, Supratman Andi Agtas.
Agtas, who had come to the parliamentary complex on Wednesday to again discuss material from the RUU TNI which is to be approved today, even had to get out of his car.
The politician from President Prabowo Subianto's Greater Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) claimed that the working meeting did not make any fundamental changes to the RUU TNI which they have agreed will be enacted at the next plenary meeting. Agtas claimed that changes in grammar were also only related to one article in the RUU TNI.
"Just adjusting it in grammatical terms, what is security, which should be defence", Agtas said at the parliamentary complex on Wednesday.
Aside from Jakarta, protest actions against the RUU TNI also took place in other regions on Wednesday such as in Yogyakarta, Solo, Surabaya and Makassar.
Makassar
A number of activists from the Makassar Civil Society Alliance held a demonstration rejecting the RUU TNI at the South Sulawesi Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) offices and the Hasanuddin XIV Regional Military Command (Kodam).
They urged Prabowo's government and the DPR to stop discussion on the RUU TNI. "The DPR and the government must stop the discussions on the RUU TNI, it doesn't have any clear urgency", said action coordinator Badai at the location of the action on Wednesday.
According to the Civil Society Alliance, the discussion on the RUU TNI could revive the ABRI's (as the TNI was then called) dual function as occurred during the New Order era of former president Suharto. "We reject the rise of ABRI's dual function which repressed democratic space and perpetuated impunity", said Badai.
Yogyakarta
Demonstrators from the Jogja Calling Alliance held a protest action inviting people to defeat the RUU TNI in front of the Dharma Wiratama, Gondokusuman Indonesian Army Museum in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta on Tuesday March 18.
The protesters, the majority of which wore black clothing, held the action at around 4 pm. One of the ways they expressed their opposition to the RUU TNI was through the installation of huge banner in front of the monument or the former People's Defence Army Supreme Headquarters.
"Today we call on comrades in other cities and wherever they are to be able to thwart the RUU TNI. The means, hold whatever actions you can in any way", said Jogja Calling Alliance public relations officer Bung [Brother] Kus.
The demonstration was held in front of the TNI Museum as a symbolic action to "memuseumkan" (to put in a museum) the military's dual function. "We want to tell the wider public, let's memuseumkan ABRI's dwi-fungsi because the ABRI's dwi-fungsi is not in the museum", he said.
In fact ABRI's dual function has notched up a dark record in history, like the repressive track record and human rights crimes under the New Order (Orba) ruler, the late 2nd president of the Republic of Indonesia, Suharto.
"How can development through the Repelita [five-year plan] be carried out through the ABRI's dwi-fungsi, so it should be included in the museum so that the people can see and declare that the ABRI's dwi-fungsi is no longer allowed to occur in Indonesia", he said.
According to the Alliance, not only does the RUU TNI gave birth to ABRI's dual function, but the other multi-functional roles of the military are a betrayal of reformasi.
Academic community
In addition to this, over the last three days the academic community at higher education institutions in Yogyakarta have also issued official statements rejecting the RUU TNI that will "revive the military's dwi-fungsi".
Academics from the Gaja Madah University (UGM) and the Indonesian Islamic University (UII) called for the rejection of the RUU TNI because it is seen as reviving the military's dual function as was during the New Order era. They held a demonstration in front of the Balairung Building on the UGM campus on Tuesday. Posters reading "Reject the RUU TNI", "Reject the TNI's dwi-fungsi" and "Return the TNI to the barracks" decorated the rally.
The reading of a statement was led by UGM Faculty of Cultural Science (FIB) Lecturer Achmad Munjid, UGM Faculty of Law (FH) constitutional law lecturer Herlambang Wiratraman, UGM Vocational School lecturer Yudistira Hendra Permana, UGM Anti-Corruption Studies Centre (Pukat) researcher Hasrul Halili, UII Rector Fathul Wahid and UII Communication Sciences Professor Masduki.
"This means that there is no urgency to discuss revisions to the UU TNI. Especially if the process is carried out behind closed doors and hidden in a luxury hotel, not in the people's house – the DPR building", the joint statement read.
"The process blatantly denies the Constitutional Court's ruling on the importance of meaningful public participation in law-making. The public has the right to be heard, considered and given an explanation in the law-making process", the statement continued.
The demonstrators see that the revisions to the TNI Law will clearly threaten the independence of the judiciary and strengthen the legal immunity of TNI members.
"This is contrary to the principles of a democratic state based on law, and will bring this nation back to the depths of authoritarianism like it was in the New Order era", the statement read.
The UII then issued another statement on its campus on Wednesday. Fathul Wahid said he hopes that campuses and civil society can speak out loudly to reject the revision to the TNI Law until its ratification is cancelled by the DPR.
"And this is where the loud voice from campus is hopefully welcomed by other campuses and welcomed by other civil society friends. There is a glimmer of hope that their heart will be touched, so that the RUU TNI will be cancelled", said Wahid in reading out the statement at the UII campus in Yogyakarta yesterday.
Wahid said that UII felt the need to reject the RUU TNI. He explained that the RUU TNI has the potential to revive the TNI's dual function. He said Indonesia has a dark history when the ABRI's dual function was still running during the New Order era. For him, Indonesia's dark history must not be repeated.
Solo
In the Central Java (Jateng) city of Solo, students from the 17 March University (UNS) held a demonstration to reject the RUU TNI in front of the Solo DPRD offices.
Students gave speeches and unfurled several banners in front of the Solo DPRD with demands such as "Revoke the RUU TNI" and "Reject the RUU TNI".
Quoting from Detik Jateng, UNS Student Executive Council (BEM) President Muhammad Faiz Yuhdi said that they hope that the Solo DPRD can convey their aspirations to the central government so that it does not ratify the RUU TNI.
"What is feared is that a New Order chapter 2 will occur. We all know that during the previous New Order, the military held full power. Then there were many tragedies that were not pro-people. So before that happens, we firmly and loudly reject it", said Yuhdi.
Surabaya
Then activists commemorating International Women's Day (IWD) on Wednesday (IWD is usually commemorated on March 8) in the East Java (Jatim) provincial capital Surabaya also voiced their rejection of the RUU TNI.
During the action, dozens of people held a long-march from Jalan Basuki Rahmat to Jalan Gubernur Suryo and performed a theatrical action in front of the East Java governor's office, the Grahadi State Building.
"We oppose and reject the RUU TNI because the militarism that is so closely attached to the bodies of TNI members will narrow the space for female friends to become representatives of the people", said action coordinator Elsa Ardhilia Putri as quoted by Detik Jatim.
The protesters were worried that if not guarded, the RUU TNI will pass and soon be ratified. So they continue to echo their opposition, including at the local level.
"This is the moment where we want to push so that our comrades in Surabaya must firmly reject the RUU TNI because last night, the DPR approved it and all that remains is for it to be taken to a plenary meeting [for ratification]", asserted Elsa. (kid/wis)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original text contained day and date errors which have been rectified in the translation. Sub-titles were also added. The original title of the article was "Gelombang Aksi Tolak RUU TNI Jelang Disahkan di Paripurna DPR".]
