Indonesian Students Held Mass Protests After Government Passed A Law Giving More Power To The Military
“President Prabowo appears intent on restoring the Indonesian military’s role in civilian affairs, which were long characterised by widespread abuses and impunity.”
Indonesian students led mass protests after the government passed a law that would give the military more power within the government.
On Thursday, March 20, lawmakers passed a law increasing the number of government positions available to active-duty military officers from 10 to 14.
Previously, military officers could only serve in ministries related to security, defense or intelligence, but the new law now allows them to hold positions in the Attorney General's Office, Supreme Court and other key agencies, according to AP.
Activists and human rights organizations have said the law could take Indonesia back to the country’s dictatorship era, when the armed forces were critical in maintaining control and accused of kidnapping and torturing pro-democracy activists who criticized the regime.
They also said the law weakens democracy since military officers could lead to lack of accountability of military actions and lead to the military abusing power.
The law was supported by president Prabowo Subianto, a once feared general under the dictatorship led by the country’s longest serving president Suharto, who was also Prabowo’s father-in-law.
“President Prabowo appears intent on restoring the Indonesian military’s role in civilian affairs, which were long characterised by widespread abuses and impunity,” Human Rights Watch said, according to Al Jazeera.
Hundreds of protesters demonstrated outside the parliament in the country’s capital Jakarta, calling for the military’s power to be limited.
Police clashed with students leading a demonstration on Monday in Surabaya, East Java.
Around 1,000 students gathered with signs that read “Reject the Military Law" and "The Military Should Return to the Barracks", according to the Jakarta Post.
Indonesia’s defense minister justified the amendment and said the “geopolitical changes and global military technology require the military to transform”.
More On Indonesia
Sofia Hou
Joanna Lee
