JAKARTA - The government's plan to form a Territorial Development Battalion (BTP) has been criticized by journalists and human rights activists. The presence of a new unit that will be involved in the agricultural sector, livestock, to regional development is considered potentially expanding the militarization of the civil space and threatening democracy.
This view emerged in a public discussion entitled "Prahara Territorial Battalion Development: Rejection of Citizens and the Direction of the Minister of Defense's Policy" which was held in Central Jakarta, Thursday, June 4.
The Chairperson of the Independent Journalists Alliance (AJI) Indonesia, Nany Afrida, questioned the urgency of forming a new battalion in the midst of various social and economic problems which he considered more appropriate to be resolved through a welfare approach.
"Who is the enemy of this country? Don't be afraid of the people themselves, until the country is so afraid and recruits too many soldiers under the pretext of taking care of agriculture and livestock," said Nany.
According to him, the plan to involve the military in the agricultural sector and regional development shows a shift in the role of the TNI to an area that has been the domain of the civilian. This condition is feared to narrow the space for democracy and increase the potential for conflict at the community level.
Nany assessed that various problems in the agrarian sector, including the regeneration of farmers and the increase in agricultural productivity, should be answered through the strengthening of farmers' capacity and development policies that are in favor of the community, not by expanding military involvement.
"If in the end the army goes down to the rice fields and enters the ancestral land of the community, then where are our farmers? This country is an agrarian country, it should be the farmers who are strengthened, not the military," he said.
In addition, AJI also highlighted the potential impact of the policy on press freedom. Nany said the security apparatus was still one of the parties most frequently reported in cases of violence against journalists.
"The perpetrators of the most violence against journalists are still the police, then the army. The army is often considered an enemy of press freedom, especially against investigative and advocacy journalism," he said.
He is concerned that the presence of battalions in areas with agrarian conflicts and natural resource disputes can create fear among the public and hinder journalistic work.
"Journalists are afraid to write, the people are afraid to speak. Coverage of investigations into agrarian conflicts and the exploitation of natural resources will also be increasingly difficult to carry out," said Nany.
In line with this, the Advocacy Department of the National Board of the Indonesian Legal Aid Association (BPN PBHI), Akbar Roohul Amin, assessed that the establishment of BTP is part of the expansion of the military's role beyond its main function as a defense tool.
According to Akbar, this tendency reminds of the practice of military involvement in various civilian sectors that has occurred in the past.
"If we used to know the dual function of the ABRI, now what is happening is the multifunction of the TNI. The army takes care of development, food, crime, agriculture, livestock, and various other civil affairs," he said.
Akbar assessed that the expansion of this role has the potential to weaken the principle of civil supremacy as well as raise accountability issues because the oversight mechanism for military institutions is different from civil institutions.
"The problem is, the mechanism for military accountability to civilians is very minimal. When supervision is weak, arbitrary actions and impunity will continue to occur," he said.
According to him, the state needs to ensure that the TNI remains focused on the defense function as mandated in the constitution and laws.
The public discussion brought together a number of academics, civil society activists, and professional organizations to discuss the social, political, and legal impacts of the plan to establish the Territorial Development Battalion. The activity was also attended by students, youth organizations, researchers, legal practitioners, and the general public who highlighted the direction of defense policy amid growing concerns about the expansion of the military's role in the civilian space.
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