Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's House of Representatives (DPR) approved the Bill on Amendments to Law Number 34 of 2004 on Indonesian National Defense Forces (TNI) into law on Thursday.
During a plenary session presided over by DPR Speaker Puan Maharani at the Parliament Complex here, legislators unanimously approved the bill.
Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, TNI Commander General Agus Subiyanto, and State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi were among the government officials present at the plenary session.
The speaker highlighted that the recently passed law covers changes to four aspects: Article 3 on TNI's position, Article 7 regarding non-combat operations, Article 47 on civil roles that can be filled by active TNI personnel, and Article 53 concerning the military retirement age.
Paragraph 2 of Article 3 of the new Military Law emphasizes "strategic planning" regarding the Defense Ministry's coordination role over TNI's "defense strategy and administrative support."
Meanwhile, Paragraph 1 of Article 3, which stipulates the president's authority over TNI's deployment and use of force, remains unchanged.
The revised Article 7 of the law modifies the number of TNI's non-combat duties from 14 to 16, adding TNI's role in mitigating cyber threats and protecting and rescuing Indonesians and Indonesia's interests abroad.
The new law also amended Article 47, increasing the number of civil roles that can be filled by active military officers from 10 to 14. However, their appointment is subject to the government office's request and administrative regulation.
TNI officers seeking to work in civilian government offices outside the authorized 14 positions are still required to resign or retire from their military service.
The amended Article 53 raises the retirement age for officers of all ranks. The old law stipulated the retirement age at 53 for enlisted and non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and 58 for high-ranking officers.
Under the current law, the retirement age is 55 years for enlisted and non-commissioned officers and 58 for junior and senior commissioned officers. High-ranking officers will now retire between 63 and 65.
Meanwhile, DPR's Commission I Chair, Utut Adianto, reporting the bill's progress before its approval into law during the plenary meeting, assured that changes to the Military Law will not erode civil supremacy over the military.
When approved, changes to the law will not affect "the values of democracy, civil supremacy, human rights, and respect to national and international statutes," he stated.
