Nearly three decades after General Suharto’s regime, Indonesia’s president Prabowo Subianto is raising concerns among liberals by increasingly relying on the military to shape his governance.
Critics of President Subianto point to the former defence minister’s early actions as a worrying sign of his tendency to replace civilian functions with the military, raising comparisons to a Suharto-era doctrine called “dwifungsi” (dual function), that allowed the armed forces to crush dissent and dominate public life.
Just three months into office after sweeping to a landslide election victory last year, Subianto has quickly expanded the armed forces’ roles in several public areas – including running much of his flagship project to serve free school meals.
Subianto’s allies are drafting legislation to allow military officers in active service to hold senior government roles, undoing safeguards established after Suharto’s 1998 overthrow.
Subianto’s resounding victory in the election was largely driven by younger voters, polls showed, a generation with little or no memory of Suharto’s military-backed “New Order” regime.
A former son-in-law of Suharto, Subianto was a special forces commander under his repressive 32-year reign and was later dismissed from the military amid unproven allegations of human rights abuses.
Supporters of Subianto argue that involving the military in key projects brings efficiency, while critics warn of a troubling shift towards re-militarization in Indonesia.
“He’s not abiding by civil supremacy,” said analyst Yanuar Nugroho of Prabowo.
“He instead wants to restore the glory of military … where various kinds of civic-works can be done by the military, arguing it will be faster, more effective,” said Yanuar, a former deputy chief of presidential staff to former president Joko Widodo.
Although not replicating the “dual function” of the past, Subianto’s early reliance on the military is raising concerns among Indonesian observers about the undoing of democratic reforms that sprang up after Suharto was ousted.
“There’s a lot of aspects of the Prabowo administration that are seeking to replicate what existed under his former father-in-law Suharto,” said political analyst and author of the Indonesia-focused newsletter Reformasi Weekly, Kevin O’Rourke. “Restoring military roles in politics is one aspect.”
Under Suharto, there were no checks and balances and the military was also involved in business, O’Rourke said, adding that the same pattern now could erode democratic oversight of government institutions, affecting policymaking.
Combat-Trained Cooks And Farmers
Prabowo, who had an 81% approval rating after his first 100 days in office, has wasted little time in handing over large projects to the armed forces since taking office. The most visible example has been his $28 billion signature project to provide free school meals.
Air Force Colonel Satrya Dharma Wijaya is a case in point.
His usual job is aircraft maintenance, but since November, he has been busy ordering stoves, refrigerators and frying pans to cook meals for thousands of children at a time at a base in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta.
“This was previously a marshalling area where we prepared troops to deploy for an assignment,” said Satrya, wearing his short-sleeved blue uniform at Halim Perdanakusuma air base’s newly expanded kitchen.
The military was running 100 of the 190 kitchens operating by the project’s launch in collaboration with the newly formed National Nutrition Agency, cooking up and delivering food for 570,000 children on its opening day.
Army chief General Maruli Simanjuntak announced plans to form 100 “territorial development” units focused on farming, fisheries, and animal husbandry. Subianto has also rapidly expanded military-led projects from his time as defense minister.
A programme for soldiers to clear land for cultivation has been increased by 50-fold with the aim of boosting Indonesia’s food security from an initial 60,000 hectares to a projected 3 million hectares – an area about the size of Belgium.
Subianto has ordered the Air Force to turn idle land into rice and corn fields managed by soldiers and villagers for a free-meals project. He also extended a military civil-works initiative to lay water pipes in remote, impoverished areas.
Army chief Simanjuntak said that turning to soldiers to help run large programmes is effective, as the army follows a strong chain of command, adding that rules are in place to prevent military repression.
“It’s impossible to return to the New Order (Suharto) era. There’s no way,” Simanjuntak said.
Soldiers Leading Ministries?
One key area of concern for critics is around upcoming legislation that would allow the president to appoint active-duty military officers to top government jobs for first time in decades.
The legislation, prepared by Subianto’s allies, will soon go before parliament where the president’s coalition controls 74% of seats. The bill will be deliberated in coming months, several lawmakers told Reuters.
The president has already tapped former military officers for top roles – such as Foreign Minister Sugiono, who served in the army’s special forces before retiring.
Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, deputy speaker of parliament from Subianto’s Gerindra party, said the president should be free to appoint active officers anywhere in government.
“These strategic programmes must be run by people who are disciplined, highly committed and have been trained to be responsible and disciplined,” Dasco said.
‘Democratic Backsliding’
But even some former military men have concerns about Subianto’s instinct to turn to the armed forces.
“Don’t give a blank check where soldiers could be placed at any posts. It will ruin the system,” retired Lt Gen Agus Widjojo, one of several generals who led post-Suharto military reforms, told Reuters.
Widjojo said the tendency would have policy implications by weakening civilian institutions.
Analyst Yanuar said he fears the trend of militarisation under Subianto will lead to a “democratic backsliding” and centralisation of power.
“A strong president who is backed by a strong military with almost full control in the parliament,” Yanuar said. “This is similar to Suharto: military with dual function.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
