Politics, Health, Law, Security

Prabowo Defends New Military Law in Interview

An excerpt from an interview with a group of senior journalists showed Prabowo being asked about the nationwide demonstrations that followed the controversial revision to the Indonesian Military (TNI) Law last month, which stoked concerns about military overreach and the return of the TNI’s dwifungsi (dual function) that prevailed during the New Order regime of Soeharto, Prabowo’s former father-in-law.The former defense minister acknowledged the concerns but attributed them to the public receiving outdated and inaccurate drafts. The President further reaffirmed his commitment to the spirit of the Reform Era, which emerged after the fall of Soeharto’s three-decade authoritarian rule, emphasizing the goal of curtailing the military’s influence in civilian affairs. “The main point of the [law revision] is to raise the retirement age. It’s difficult for the TNI to grow as an organization if we must replace the commander every few years. There are no other agendas [behind it],” he said. (The Jakarta Post)