JAKARTA: Indonesia’s government on Tuesday ( Mar 11 ) introduced in a parliamentary committee a watered-down version of contentious legislation that would enable President Prabowo Subianto to appoint military personnel to civilian posts, officials said.
After a landslide election win last month, Prabowo, a former military commander, has rapidly expanded the military forces ‘ position, triggering alarm in a country that was once dominated by an all-powerful military.
A new review of the legislation, first proposed earlier this year, added a stipulation that soldiers filling human posts had first withdraw from company, Indonesia’s Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin told reporters after the first reading on the legislation by a political commission.
This modifications a past review by which Prabowo may appoint effective officers anywhere in the state, said senator TB Hasanuddin, a representative of the country’s largest celebration, after attending the hearing.
That draft caused concern among activists and students that expanded military roles in civilian functions would bring back a Suharto-era doctrine called “dwifungsi” ( dual function ) that allowed the armed forces to crush dissent and dominate public life.
” Any military officer to be assigned in ministry or state agency must retire… We could only propose them to ( be assigned ) in ministry or state agency after the retirement”, Sjafrie said.