Prabowo Confirms Tempo's Report on His Role as TNI Law Revision Initiator

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Prabowo Subianto confirmed Tempo's report mentioning that he is the initiator of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) Law revision in an interview in Sentul, Bogor Regency, West Java, on April 6, 2025.

He made the statement during an interview with seven senior journalists and chief editors of national media at his residence in Sentul, Bogor Regency, West Java, on Sunday, April 6, 2025.

Prabowo revealed that the TNI Law has been accelerated due to the frequent changes in the TNI commander and chief of staff within a year, which, according to Prabowo, occurred too quickly as they reached retirement age.

"So I said that if we do not replace a number of generals now, then we should take action. So I request that the essence of this TNI Law revision is merely to extend the retirement age of several high-ranking officers," Prabowo said as quoted on the Narasi TV channel on April 7, 2025.

Najwa Shihab, the founder of Narasi TV and a journalist who interviewed Prabowo, allowed Tempo to quote the interview.

However, Prabowo denied any intention to restore the dual function of the TNI. He also mentioned the involvement of the military in civilian matters during President Soekarno's era. Soekarno invited the Indonesian Armed Forces to the government due to the emergency of war and the rebellion crisis in the 1950s.

"So the conditions are different. So I think the TNI Law is a non-issue, there is no intention," he said.

He stated that the TNI Law actually formalizes positions in several institutions that are allowed to be filled by active TNI personnel, such as the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) and intelligence. The Attorney General's Office and the Supreme Court are included because there are military prosecutors and military chamber judges.

The acceleration of the TNI Law revision approval was reported in the Tempo magazine edition on Sunday, March 23, 2025. In a meeting in Hambalang on March 16, 2025, Prabowo asked Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and Deputy State Secretary Bambang Eko Suhariyanto to ensure the TNI Law revision was approved before Eid al-Fitr.

Bambang Eko revealed that Prabowo wanted to add a maximum retirement age for the military. "The president checked whether this idea was reflected in the draft," he said.

Two of Prabowo's colleagues who were aware of the meeting said that the Chair of the Gerindra Party wanted the regulation to be passed before Eid al-Fitr. The government believed that there would be less resistance as the discussion took place during Ramadan.

When met on March 20, 2025, Sjafrie denied that Prabowo had pressed for the TNI Law revision to be rushed before Eid al-Fitr. "Everything is the result of the government and the DPR's agreement. There was no request from the President," Sjafrie said.

Meanwhile, Bambang Eko said that Prabowo had expressed the desire for the TNI Law revision to be approved early in his administration.

"Mr. Prabowo said that if possible, the TNI Law should be passed in the first few months after we occupy the State Palace," said Bambang.

The TNI Law revision has been Prabowo's desire since he served as Defense Minister. Former Governor of the National Resilience Institute (Lemhanas), Andi Widjajanto, admitted that he had been invited to discuss the revision several times in 2023.

Andi said that Prabowo wanted to reform the TNI's defense strategy and military career ladder, including extending the active military service period.

"I suggested that the revision of the law aimed to reform the TNI," Andi told Tempo in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday, March 19, 2025.

Prabowo appointed Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, who was then the Special Assistant to the Defense Minister for Defense Management, to lead the team drafting the TNI Law revision. Meanwhile, Bambang Eko Suhariyanto, who was then a staff expert to the Defense Minister, assisted in reviewing the draft revision. The draft combined several designs previously prepared during Prabowo's predecessors, Ryamizard Ryacudu.

"From the existing drafts, we combined and revamped them by 50 percent," Bambang Eko told Tempo on Wednesday, March 19, 2025.

Francisca Christy Rosana contributed to the writing of this article.

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