 was sharply criticized, especially regarding transparency and substance by Saiful Mujani (SMRC).){kind=link}
Discussion of the Revision of Law (Law) Number 34 of 2004 concerning the Indonesian National Army (TNI) which was held at the Fairmont Hotel, Jakarta, on Friday-Saturday, March 14-15, 2025, draws sharp criticism from various groups. One of them came from Saiful Mujani, founder of Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC), which questioned the transparency and substance of the discussion.
“Why did the Parliament and the government discuss the TNI Bill secretly in a luxury hotel? Why not invite academics, mass organizations, media and NGOs related to the issue of the TNI? ” Saiful Mujani wrote in his upload on the social media platform X, Saturday (3/15/2025). Saiful allowed the tempo to quote his statement.
Substances that deviate from the mandate of the reform
Saiful Mujani assessed that the discussion on the revision of the TNI Law was actually contrary to the spirit of reform. According to him, reforms should direct the TNI to focus more on professionalism in the field of defense, not to expand the role of military in the civil region. “This violates the mandate of the reform. This is a setback in the state, “he stressed.
He stressed that reforms should limit, even eliminate, the role of the TNI in the civil domain so that national defense can be managed more professionally. “Without public participation, this discussion has distorted procedures. We will not remain silent and are ready to question it in the Constitutional Court, as has been done in the case of the Cipta Work Law, “said Saiful.
The tendency to add civil position to the TNI
Saiful also highlighted the tendency of the revision of the TNI Law to add civil positions that could be filled by TNI officers. According to him, this was more intended to accommodate unemployed officers since the era of President Joko Widodo’s administration. “This is not a matter of the interests of the nation, but rather to provide a ‘desk job’ for unemployed TNI officers,” he criticized.
Response Chairman of the House of Representatives Commission I: “This is normal”
Responding to the criticism, Chairman of the House of Representatives Commission I, Utut Adianto, defended the decision to hold a meeting at a luxury hotel. “This has become a habit. Try to check, the discussion of the Prosecutor’s Office first at the Sheraton Hotel, the Law on Personal Data Protection in Intercontinental. Why not criticized at that time? ” Utut said when met on the sidelines of a meeting at the Fairmont Hotel.
Utut, which is a PDI -P politician, is reluctant to respond further about the issue of budget efficiency. “That’s your opinion,” he said simply.
Criticism of the Civil Society Coalition
The Civil Society Coalition also did not miss voicing his disappointment. Kontras Coordinator, Dimas Bagus Arya, assessed that the steps of the DPR and the government held a meeting at a luxury hotel showing irregularities in the economic conditions of the community. “Rhetoric of budget cuts is just a mere gimik. This is proof that they are not sensitive to the economic difficulties experienced by the people, “said Dimas.
Closed discussion and list of problems (DIM)
The meeting at the Fairmont Hotel was held in private and focusing on the discussion of the Problem Inventory List (DIM) of the TNI Bill. Some crucial points discussed include the position of the TNI, extension of the retirement age limit of soldiers, as well as the addition of civilian positions that can be filled by active TNI officers.