Dave Laksono Responds to TNI Involvement in Student Protest Security

Deputy Speaker of Commission I of the House of Representatives, Dave Laksono, has responded to civil society criticism regarding military involvement in securing a student protest titled ‘Towards a Bankrupt Indonesia’ on 12 June 2026. He stated that, in principle, the responsibility for securing demonstrations lies with the police as law enforcement officers. However, he said, the possibility of involving the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) cannot be ruled out. “To ensure public order is maintained,” he said when contacted on Saturday, 13 June 2026. Furthermore, Dave continued, the TNI has the primary mandate of safeguarding the sovereignty and integrity of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia. In carrying out this task, according to him, the defence institution has a role alongside the police, particularly in conditions that require the maintenance of national stability. “We believe that synergy between defence and law enforcement apparatus is key to maintaining state stability,” said Dave. Nevertheless, he cautioned that coordination between the two institutions in securing protests must be carried out properly. “The most important thing is that every step remains within the legal corridor, respects civil rights, and maintains public trust in state institutions,” said the Golkar Party politician. Not only regarding TNI involvement, he stated that the mobilisation of reserve components could also support national security in accordance with the total defence system. According to him, the role of these reserve forces is not limited to safeguarding sovereignty but also to creating order and a sense of security for the people. “The reserve component was formed as part of the total defence system to strengthen the nation’s readiness to face various potential strategic threats,” he said. Dave stated that Commission I of the DPR, as the government’s partner in the defence sector, is committed to carrying out its oversight function. This function, he said, is performed to ensure that state defence policies are implemented in accordance with the constitutional mandate and in favour of the people’s interests. The Civil Society Coalition for Security Sector Reform criticised the deployment of the TNI and the Reserve Component to guard student demonstrations at several points in Jakarta on Friday, 12 June 2026. They considered the move erroneous, inconsistent with democratic principles, and potentially causing legal problems. The coalition stated that handling protests is the domain of civilian security apparatus, especially the Indonesian National Police. “Military mobilisation should only be a last resort when all civilian apparatus is no longer able to control the existing situation,” read the joint statement. The coalition also questioned the basis of the threat used as the reason for deploying the civil servant reserve component. They reminded that the reserve component was formed to strengthen the main component of national defence in facing threats to state sovereignty, not to respond to domestic security dynamics that can still be handled by civilian apparatus. The coalition assessed that Indonesia is currently not in a condition that meets the threat parameters as stipulated in Law Number 23 of 2019 concerning National Resource Management for State Defence. Referring to Article 63 of the law, military mobilisation can be carried out by the President in a state of military emergency or war with the approval of the DPR. Based on this provision, the coalition argued that deploying the reserve component in a peaceful situation potentially exceeds the authority granted by law. “We view that the deployment of the reserve component is clearly an attempt to pit fellow civilians against each other,” the coalition said. The Ministry of Defence denied deploying the civil servant reserve component to assist in securing the student demonstration on Friday, 12 June 2026. Head of the Defence Information Bureau at the Ministry of Defence, Brigadier General Rico Ricardo Sirait, said his ministry did hold a muster for hundreds of civil servant reserve component members on Friday morning. However, the activity was claimed to be unrelated to securing the student protest that took place on the same day. Rico stated that the standby muster was part of a readiness test for reserve component members after completing training. “The activity was part of a readiness test and development for Reserve Component members post-training that had been planned beforehand,” said Rico on Saturday, 13 June 2026.