Causes of Militarism Strengthening Under the Prabowo Administration

Chairman of Centra Initiative, Al Araf, says the reason militarism is growing stronger in Indonesia is because civilian authorities such as the president and Parliament allow it to happen. Al Araf says the core problem of militarism must be matched with civilian authority; in a democracy, those who control the military are civilian authorities, namely the president and Parliament.

Why the military has entered civilian spaces, political spaces, and has become a law enforcement actor in recent times is because civilian authorities allow, remain silent about, and even acquiesce to the process, Al Araf said in a public discussion “Reflections on 28 Years of Reform: The Strengthening of Militarism, the Narrowing of Democratic Space and the Threat of an Economic Crisis,” held in southern Jakarta on Wednesday, 19 May 2026.

According to Al Araf, militarism is not about organisations but about a paradigm and a way of thinking. The militaristic way of viewing problems sees all issues as resolvable through security-centric and militaristic means. “So militarism is a pattern of thinking, a way of thinking, and a paradigm,” he said.

In Indonesian history, militarism grew strong during the New Order era when social and political life spaces were dominated by the military. Al Araf explained that such a mindset resolved differences through militaristic approaches; as a result, critics of President Suharto at that time could be abducted, arrested, and human rights violations occurred.

“That is the pattern and character of militaristic power. Differences are treated as threats,” he said.

The strengthening of militarism is now reflected in the era of President Prabowo Subianto. For example, Prabowo has repeatedly stated that these observers must be disciplined. This was followed by an attempted assassination of KontraS activist Andrie Yunus and the banning of the film Pesta Babi.

“Now, this is a problem. Why? Because civilian authorities see differences as threats. If differences are seen as threats, it shows that the leader does not tolerate difference,” Al Araf argued.

The leader’s character who does not want democracy would use a pattern of dealing with differences by suppressing them. Moreover, Al Araf said, podcasts that are not liked by the government are deemed threats.

“We have experienced this in the New Order, when social and political spaces were dominated by the military. That thinking eventually involved the military in civilian positions, in Parliament, in education; those who are different were abducted, disappeared, and so on,” Al Araf said.

President Prabowo Subianto has made controversial remarks on several occasions. One of them accused certain observers of lacking patriotism. He claimed they gain financially by criticising the government.

Prabowo spoke of several kinds of observers in Indonesia. One type is observers who do not like his government’s success because they have hidden motives. “In my view, their attitude is narrow, not patriotic,” Prabowo said in a Cabinet meeting at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Friday, 13 March 2026.

Prabowo speculated about the motives of these critics. He suggested they may feel defeated, lack power, or lose their income due to his government’s staunch stance against corruption. “Especially thieves, corruptors, they feel harmed by our government. We want to discipline them,” he said.

Prabowo has also accused foreigners of infiltrating the media. In a briefing to around a thousand professors and university rectors at the State Palace on 15 January 2026, Prabowo said Tempo has never highlighted government achievements, including self-sufficiency in food.

Three academics at that meeting recounted that Prabowo accused foreign actors of funding Tempo’s editorial team. Throughout the speech, Prabowo asked the academics to support the government in countering foreign interventions.

Militarism has strengthened also recently. Andrie Yunus is Deputy Coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS), who was sprayed with caustic chemical by a member of the Strategic Intelligence Agency (Bais TNI) on Jalan Salemba I-Talang, Central Jakarta, on 12 March 2026. Rather than being prosecuted in civilian court, the alleged perpetrators were tried in military court.

Recently, there have also been bans on the film Pesta Babi by director Dandhy Dwi Laksono and Cipry Paju Dale. A screening of the documentary Pesta Babi at the Student Activity Unit Building of Khairun University in Ternate, on Tuesday 12 May 2026, was dispersed by a uniformed TNI officer.

Colonel Jani Setiadi, the commander of Kodim 1501/Ternate, alluded to licensing issues and SARA (ethnicity, religion, and race) concerns behind the dispersal. He also claimed the event involving Aliansi Jurnalis Independen (AJI) Ternate and several student organisations lacked proper permits.

“Besides licensing, authorities also scrutinise the material and the themes of activities that are considered sensitive for the public,” Jani told reporters on Tuesday, 12 May 2026.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Francisca Christy Rosana, Dani Aswara, and Budhy Nurgianto contributed to this article.