• Lawmakers shouted “Agree” and Pu’an slammed the gavel.
• Previously, officers could serve in 10 government agencies.
• The law now revised allows officers to serve in 14 institutions.

JAKARTA: Indonesia’s parliament on Thursday revised a law to allow military members to take on more government roles, despite criticisms that it would expand the role of the armed forces in civilian affairs.

The amendment to the armed forces law, mainly promoted by the Prabowo Suu-UMING presidential alliance, aims to expand the role of the army in countries that have been affected by its powerful armed forces in the long-term impact.

The amendment sparked fears over the era of the late dictator Suharto, who served as Prabowo and used military figures to combat dissent.

“It’s time to ask factions to approve the amendment… Can we agree to legalize it into law?” House Speaker Puan Maharani asked the plenary.

Lawmakers shouted “Agree” and Pu’an hit the gavel, meaning the amendment was over.

Military Director Agus Subiyanto told parliament last week that the military law passed in 2004 was outdated and no longer meaningful.

Under previous versions of the law, officers could serve in 10 government agencies, including the Ministry of Defense.

Soldiers are expected to resign or retire in order to hold civilian positions in other government agencies.

The revised law now allows officers to serve in 14 state agencies, including the Attorney General’s Office and the Disaster Mitigation Agency.

Rights groups say the change will allow officials to fill more civilian positions with active military personnel and weaken legal checks on abuse of officials.

“President Prabowo appears to intend to restore the role of the Indonesian military in civilian affairs, which has long been universal abuse and impunity,” said Andreas Harsono, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch in Indonesia.

“The government is eager to adopt these amendments to weaken its express commitment to human rights and accountability,” he said.