Indonesia s rights groups urge Parliament not to pass military law

JAKARTA - Rights groups in Indonesia on March 19 urged Parliament to reject contentious revisions of military laws, saying they would take the archipelago back to an era of military domination and create legal uncertainty.

Indonesias Parliament is set to pass the law on March 20 in a plenary council after the house committee overseeing the military approved the changes, which will allow armed forces personnel to hold more civilian posts.

Rights groups and student organisations called for protests outside the Parliament on March 20.

Rights group Legal Aid Institute said the revision would pull Indonesia back 30 years to an era where the late strongman Suharto used the military to dominate civilian affairs and crush dissent in the worlds most populous Muslim-majority country.

The revision is a legislative crime that threatens Indonesians and the future of democracy, said Mr Arif Maulana, deputy chair of the institute.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, a former special forces commander and Suhartos former son-in-law, has expanded the armed forces role since taking office in October.

The government defends the Bill, saying it incorporated concerns and watered it down by stipulating that military officers must first resign before being placed in most civilian roles.

A lawmaker from the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, Mr Nico Siahaan, said the government added more agencies where active soldiers could be appointed, including the state secretariat, Attorney-Generals Office, as well as the counter-terrorism and narcotics agencies.

Active soldiers in the Attorney-General Office would affect transparency of legal processes involving military personnel, Mr Arif said, adding that there was a risk of armed forces using violence in civilian roles.

Allowing the military to be more involved in civilian affairs could also lead to abuse of power, human rights violations, and impunity, said Mr Usman Hamid of Amnesty International Indonesia.