JAKARTA - A number of academics and researchers have highlighted the potential for the fading of military professionalism as soldiers' involvement in civilian, business, and political positions expands. They assess that expanding roles beyond defense functions risks disrupting civilian supremacy and democratic governance.
This view emerged in a public discussion entitled "Military, Business, and Politics: Lessons from Military Coups in Various Countries" held in Central Jakarta, Wednesday, July 8.
Head of the Indonesian Laboratory 2045 (LAB 45), Jaleswari Pramodhawardani, said the threat to democracy in Indonesia today is no longer in the form of a military coup as in other countries. According to him, the challenge is actually emerging through the expansion of military influence within the government system through legal instruments.
"The threat of Indonesia is actually within a seemingly stable system, through legitimate legal instruments," said Jaleswari.
He gave an example of the enactment of Law Number 5 of 2026 concerning the National Police and the revision of Law Number 3 of 2025 concerning the TNI which he considered opened a wider space for active personnel to occupy civilian positions.
According to Jaleswari, this condition needs to be a concern so that the professionalism of the military as a means of defense of the state remains maintained and does not shift to the realm of civil bureaucracy.
A similar view was expressed by Public Policy and Government Governance Researcher Gian Kasogi. Based on his research results, since 2014 there has been an increase in the military's involvement in the non-defense sector.
He said the risk matrix he compiled placed military involvement in politics and democracy in the high-risk category because it had the potential to weaken civilian supremacy and the checks and balances mechanism.
Gian also explained, based on the search for a number of information, dozens of active and retired TNI officers are now occupying various strategic positions, ranging from ministers, heads of institutions, to commissioners at a number of SOEs such as PT Timah, PT PLN, PT Telkom, MIND ID, and other state-owned enterprises.
"The Indonesian civil-military relationship has shifted from the demilitarization paradigm to an institutional transformation that tests the quality of democracy and good governance," explained Gian.
Meanwhile, Professor of State Law at the University of Muhammadiyah Jakarta, Ibnu Sina Chandranegara, assessed that there were still a number of structural problems that had not been resolved since the reform era.
According to him, one of the main problems is that the transfer of the TNI business has not been completed as mandated by Article 76 of the TNI Law of 2004.
In addition, he highlighted the trend of placing active personnel in civilian positions which are considered potentially giving rise to creeping securitization or militarization of the civilian bureaucracy.
Ibnu also assessed that the DPR's supervision of the defense budget and policy was still more administrative than substantive supervision.
He reminded that the military, which has an independent economic base, has the potential to have greater political bargaining power than its professional function as a defense tool for the country.
During the discussion, the speakers also conveyed a number of recommendations. Among them are completing the audit and transferring TNI business to the state in a transparent manner, tightening the placement of active soldiers in civilian positions through the principle of very limited exceptions, and strengthening regulations that affirm the supremacy of the civilian in making strategic state policies.
This discussion presents the National University of Political Science Professor Firdaus Syam, Associate Professor of Business Law and Military Analyst of Bina Nusantara University M. Reza Zaki, Head of LAB 45 Jaleswari Pramodhawardani, Director of the Indonesian Madani Circle Ray Rangkuti, Professor of State Law at the University of Muhammadiyah Jakarta Ibnu Sina Chandranegara, and Researcher of Public Policy and Government Governance Gian Kasogi. Participants come from students, researchers, youth organizations, civil society, and the general public.
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