Ray Rangkuti Criticizes the Strengthening of the Military in the Civil to the Intelligence Operation in the Andrie Yunus Case

JAKARTA - The Executive Director of Lingkar Madani Indonesia, Ray Rangkuti, highlighted the strengthening of the military's role in the civil space, including the alleged intelligence operation in the case of the hard water spraying on activist Andrie Yunus.

The statement was made during a public discussion entitled * "Defense Policy and the Expansion of the Military's Role in the Civil Space: Between Strategic Needs and New Dual-Use Risks" * which was held by the Indonesia Youth Congress in Jakarta, Wednesday, April 15.

Ray revealed that in a previous discussion on national television, former Head of the Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS) Soleman Pontoh reminded the public to be careful in delivering criticism because it could be misinterpreted by the authorities.

"The understanding of each member of the military is not always the same in responding to public criticism, so there may be actions outside the orders of superiors," Ray said, quoting the statement.

According to him, this condition shows that there are still problems in the way of view of some officials towards public criticism. He emphasized that the military's true task is to provide protection to the state and citizens, not to limit freedom of opinion.

"Maintaining the Republic of Indonesia is not only about geographical territory, but also guaranteeing the freedom of its citizens," he said.

Ray also assessed that there has been no fundamental change in the paradigm of some military circles who still view criticism as a threat to the country.

"People who express opinions and criticism are still often considered a threat to national defense," he said.

He associated this condition with the experience of the 1998 reform, where civil society is often the party that is reminded, not protected when there are irregularities.

This discussion also featured a number of other speakers, such as Ikrar Nusa Bakti, Firdaus Syam, Haris Azhar, and Uli Arta Siagian, who discussed the dynamics of civil-military relations and the challenges of democracy in Indonesia.