Civil Society Coalition Urges Government to Halt TNI Territorial Development Battalion Plan

JAKARTA - The Coalition of Civil Society for Security Sector Reform urges President Prabowo Subianto, the DPR, the Ministry of Defense, and the TNI Commander to stop the plan to form the TNI Territorial Development Battalion (BTP) and the expansion of territorial command in various regions. The coalition assesses that this policy has the potential to expand the role of the military in the civilian sector and is contrary to the spirit of security sector reform.

The demand was conveyed following the emergence of rejection of BTP development in a number of areas, including Rancapinang Village, Pandeglang Regency, Banten, and Selosabrang Village, Bejen District, Temanggung Regency, Central Java. The rejection was triggered by land dispute issues that had been managed by the community for generations.

In addition, the construction of BTP is also said to have triggered conflicts with indigenous people regarding ulayat rights in Simawang, Tanah Datar Regency, West Sumatra, as well as Nagekeo Regency, Flores, East Nusa Tenggara.

Representative of the Coalition of Civil Society for Security Sector Reform from the Human Rights Working Group (HRWG), Daniel Awigra, assessed that the establishment of BTP cannot be seen as only an internal policy of the TNI organization.

"The formation of territorial units that are projected to support development is a political defense choice that has an impact on state governance, civil-military relations, constitutional guarantees of citizens' rights, and the direction of post-reform Indonesian democracy," Daniel said in a statement, Saturday, July 4.

Daniel emphasized that Article 30 paragraph (3) of the 1945 Constitution stipulates that the TNI is a state instrument tasked with maintaining, protecting, and maintaining the integrity and sovereignty of the state.

According to him, this provision places the TNI as a defense tool for the state, not a development instrument that takes over or overshadows the function of the civilian government.

"The establishment of BTP with the mandate of development at risk mixes the functions of defense, security, development, and civil government. The ambiguity of the mandate can create a space for military intervention into civil affairs that should be controlled by democratic civilian authorities," he said.

The coalition also assessed that the plan to establish the BTP could not be justified through Military Operations Other than War (OMSP). According to Daniel, OMSP is temporary and must be under civilian control, so it should not be the basis for the establishment of a permanent organizational structure.

"It is not appropriate for the military institution to perpetuate OMSP through the construction of a permanent structure of the organization that expands the domestic role of the TNI. OMSP should not be used as a basis for building BTP or expanding territorial command structures," he said.

Furthermore, the Coalition considers the expansion of BTP to have the potential to revive military dual-use infrastructure, which in the past was synonymous with political control, restrictions on civil liberties, and human rights violations.

Daniel said the permanent presence of the military in development affairs has the potential to intimidate civil society, including farmers, indigenous people, students, journalists, and human rights defenders who criticize government policies.

"In the context of agrarian conflicts and the development of strategic projects, the involvement of military territorial structures risks increasing intimidation, criminalization, forced evictions, restrictions on access to information, and violence against citizens who defend their land and living space," he said.

In addition to impacting democracy and civil rights, the Coalition also highlighted the potential for a swelling defense budget if the new battalion development continues.

According to Daniel, the addition of territorial units will increase the burden of routine budgets, while the need for modernization of the main equipment of the weapons system (alutsista) and improvement of soldiers' welfare is still a homework.

"So far, the defense budget has been used more for routine spending. The development of BTP has the potential to hinder the improvement of soldiers' welfare, the modernization of military equipment, and the development of a professional TNI," he said.

On this basis, the Coalition urges the government to stop the plan to establish BTP and impose a moratorium on the addition of new territorial commands. In addition, the government is asked to conduct a thorough evaluation of the policy of deploying TNI forces, including auditing aspects of needs, budgets, legal basis, human rights impacts, environmental impacts, and impacts on local communities.

The coalition also asked the DPR to strengthen the oversight function of the expansion of the TNI organization, ensure that all implementation of the OMSP is under civilian control, and encourage TNI reforms that focus on defense professionalism, budget transparency, and a clear separation between defense functions and civilian functions.