By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
JAKARTA (Worthy News) – Students and rights activists have rallied outside Indonesia’s parliament building, where legislators passed changes to a military law that protesters say will bring the Islamic nation closer to dictatorship.
Thursday’s rally broke out after civil society groups warned that Indonesia, “the world’s third-biggest democracy,” would return to the draconian “New Order” era of former strongman president Suharto when military officers dominated civilian affairs.
However, Parliament Speaker Puan Maharani, who led the unanimous vote, said it was “in accordance with the principle of democracy and human rights.”
Yet observers have not noticed that President Prabowo Subianto, who took office last October and was a special forces commander under Suharto, has been expanding the armed forces’ role. The army has been active in what were considered civilian areas, including the president’s flagship program of free meals for children.
However, rights activists fear that increased military involvement may lead to “abuses of power, human rights violations, and impunity” from consequences for actions.
The government has said the bill requires officers to resign from the military before assuming civilian posts at departments such as the Attorney General’s Office. Additionally, officers can not join state-owned companies to counter concerns that the military would be involved in business, said a lawmaker familiar with the changes.
Budi Djiwandono, the committee’s deputy chief overseeing the military law bill, said the government would ensure that civil supremacy is upheld.
Djiwandono, who is also President Prabowo’s nephew, added in published remarks that “no active military personnel would be placed in state-owned companies, dismissing concerns they would be involved in business.”
Opposition politicians have urged all parties to monitor the law’s implementation to ensure “no further expansion of military roles,” Worthy News learned.
Yet the protesters suggested that many Indonesians fear a return to autocratic rule.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
Israel expanded its military campaign against Hezbollah on Monday, striking more than 70 targets across Lebanon as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to increase pressure on the Iranian-backed terror group following a sharp rise in drone and rocket attacks on northern Israel.
A federal appeals court is weighing whether Kansas City can use its public accommodation ordinance to require Christian counselors to counsel gay married couples despite the counselors’ biblical convictions on marriage and sexuality.
Tens of thousands of evangelical Christians gathered in the Netherlands for one of Europe’s largest multi-day Christian events, with organizers and participants expressing hopes for spiritual revival in the nation and across Europe.
President Donald Trump pushed back Monday against sharp criticism from Republicans and former administration officials over a potential U.S.-Iran agreement, insisting that any final accord must prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon or it will not be signed.
President Donald Trump said Monday that countries involved in negotiations over Iran should be required to join the Abraham Accords, signaling that the White House is seeking to turn a possible Iran agreement into a wider regional realignment that includes normalization with Israel.
Tensions remained high in Serbia’s capital Belgrade on Sunday after at least tens of thousands of people demanded elections and rallied against what they view as the increasingly authoritarian rule of President Aleksandar Vučić, with violence erupting after the protest and more than 20 people arrested.
Investigations were ongoing Sunday into the killing of three senior Kuki-Thadou Christian church leaders by unidentified gunmen in India’s northeastern Manipur State, Christian investigators told Worthy News.