Menkum Guarantees No TNI Dwifunction In The Bill

Minister of Law Supratman Andi Agtas (ANTARA/Through Susthira K.)

JAKARTA - Minister of Law (Menkum) Supratman Andi Agtas emphasized that concerns about ABRI or TNI's dyafunction to be revived in the Draft Law on Amendments to Law Number 34 of 2004 concerning the TNI (RUU TNI) did not occur.

"What is more important is that concerns regarding ABRI's duality or TNI's duality do not occur," Supratman said as quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, March 19.

This was conveyed by him after attending a working meeting of Commission I of the DPR with the Government to make a number of improvements to the draft TNI Bill.

The Minister of Law and Human Rights said that he was worried that the TNI's dual function would be revived through the TNI Bill as he found when holding an audience with students who were expressing their aspirations regarding the revision of the TNI Law at the Pancasila gate, the back of the DPR building, Jakarta, shortly before attending the meeting.

"What are the demands of friends, the younger students have been heard by the government, by the DPR, that the concerns regarding the return of the role of the TNI or ABRI dualities in the revision of the TNI Law are not at all visible," he said.

Therefore, Supratman hopes to have a further dialogue with the public to ward off concerns about the return of the TNI's duality through the TNI Bill.

"I hope that later we will have a further dialogue because I have conveyed it to my friends, I will convey directly that the concern did not occur," he said.

On the other hand, the Minister of Law and Human Rights said that the TNI Bill puts forward the principle of civil supremacy by limiting only 14 ministries/agencies that can be occupied by active TNI soldiers.

"If you want to be outside the 14 (K/L) that was determined earlier, you have to retire. That means you have to be a civilian. That means civil supremacy," he said.

The Minister of Law and Human Rights emphasized that active TNI soldiers who want to fill civilian positions outside the 14 ministries/agencies must retire or resign from the army service.

"That in other places, the task (TNI) is also only to help. Now, for active soldiers who will occupy civilian positions, from the start they must retire, that's it, there is no more bargaining, they must retire," he explained.

Previously, the Minister of Law and Human Rights revealed that only 14 approved ministries/agencies could be filled by active TNI soldiers in the TNI Bill.

He said in his preparation, initially there were 16 ministries/agencies that could be filled with active soldiers in the bill. However, there are agencies that are reduced or whose meanings are unified.

"14 it was, 16. Because the defense and the national defense council were one later, such as the Minister of State Secretary, there would also be a presidential military secretary," said Supratman.

On Tuesday (18/3), Commission I of the DPR approved the discussion of the TNI Bill at level I to be brought to the next level at the DPR Plenary Meeting.

In the bill, there was a change in the provisions, namely the position of the TNI, the extension of the military service period, to the expansion of the provisions for civil office that could be filled by active TNI soldiers.