Rising Militarism
Indonesia is witnessing an erosion of civilian supremacy as President Prabowo Subianto increasingly relies on the military to address civil unrest and administer key state functions. Following riots in late August, over 75,000 soldiers were deployed in Jakarta—the largest mobilization since 1998—while senior military figures, both active and retired, have been appointed to civilian posts including the coordinating minister for political and security affairs, the Customs and Excise Directorate General, and the State Logistics Agency. Prabowo’s policies further embed the military in civilian domains, from food security and forestry enforcement to expanded regional deployments. These developments are reinforced by the revised TNI Law, which broadens the scope of non-combat operations, increases permissible institutional appointments, and raises retirement ages, thereby granting legal cover to rising militarism. With the Constitutional Court upholding the law and political elites showing little resistance, the responsibility to safeguard democratic civilian control rests squarely with the executive and legislative branches, whose current trajectory risks normalizing military dominance in governance.