Indonesia’s Parliament unanimously voted to pass a controversial revision of its military law on Thursday that will allow military officers to serve in more government posts without resigning from the armed forces, despite growing opposition from pro-democracy and rights groups who see it as a threat to the country’s young democracy.
In a plenary session, all eight political parties represented in Parliament backed the bill. The House of Representatives is largely controlled by parties supporting President Prabowo Subianto, a former army general with ties to the country’s dictatorial past.
Currently, active military officers can only serve in ministries or state institutions related to security, defense, or intelligence under a landmark 2004 law that reduced the military’s role in civil affairs.
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