Jakarta – A grouping of students, including members of the University of Indonesia Student Executive Board (BEM UI), who were holding a demonstration, were held up in the Tosari area on Jalan Sudirman in Central Jakarta on Friday afternoon until the evening on June 12.
They had originally intended to protest the administration of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka at the nearby Hotel Indonesia (HI) traffic circle. The action however was blocked by a joint force of National Police (Polri) and the Indonesian Military (TNI) in the Tosari area.
Meanwhile, the involvement of the TNI and allegedly the Reserve Component in securing the demonstration drew strong protests from the Civil Society Coalition for Security Sector Reform.
The Coalition consists of several civil society organisations including the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta), the Legal Aid Foundation for the Press (LBH Pers), the Jakarta Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI Jakarta), the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI), the Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR), the Institute for Public Research and Advocacy (ELSAM), Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial), the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) and the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi).
"On June 12, 2026, the TNI was mobilised to confront student demonstrations at several locations in Jakarta. Previously, on June 11, 2026, the Ministry of Defence (Kemhan) of the Republic of Indonesia issued Letter Number B/752/VI/2026/BACADNAS dated June 11, 2026, ordering the deployment of approximately 500 State Civil Apparatus (ASN) members of the Reserve Component (Komcad) from various ministries to attend the Komcad standby roll call at the Ministry of Defence on June 12, 2026", read the opening of their official statement received Friday evening.
"The Coalition views the deployment of the TNI to confront demonstrations at several locations in Jakarta as a flawed policy. In a democratic country military mobilisation should only be a last resort when the entire civil service is unable to control the situation", they said.
According to the Coalition, this move raises serious concerns regarding the direction and purpose of the Reserve Component's use.
"Under the national defence system, Komcad was established as a resource that was prepared to strengthen key components in facing threats to national defence. Therefore, the use of Komcad must be carried out carefully, proportionally, accountably and based on clear threat parameters", they said.
The Coalition warned that in a democratic country – especially Indonesia – every use of defence instruments must be subject to the principles of accountability, transparency and civilian supremacy.
They emphasised that Komcad must not develop into an instrument that can be mobilised at any time based on administrative or political considerations without clear parameters.
"Such practices actually reinforce concerns that Komcad could be used for domestic security purposes, which should not be its primary function", they said.
"We view the mobilisation of Komcad by the Ministry of Defence on June 12 as a fatal error, especially since it coincided with student demonstrations. Indonesia is not currently at war with another country or facing a situation that clearly meets the threat parameters as referred to under Article 4 paragraph (3) of Law Number 23/2019 on the Management of National Resources for National Defence (the PSDN Law)", they continued.
The Coalition believes the lack of an explanation regarding the basis for this threat raises serious questions about the urgency of the Reserve Component mobilisation at this time.
Aside from this, the Coalition warned that the TNI is the primary component of national defence, while the National Police is the institution responsible for maintaining public order and security (harkamtibmas).
"Therefore, a fundamental question arises: what threat is the country facing that necessitates the deployment of the Reserve Component? Are the TNI as the primary component of national defence and Polri as the apparatus for maintaining public order and security deemed incapable of carrying out their functions and authorities so that it necessitates the deployment of the Komkad?", they asked.
Illegal mobilisation
Based on this, the Coalition views the deployment of Komcad on June 12 as illegal under both legislation and constitutional law. "We view the mobilisation of Komcad on June 12 as illegal", they said.
"Article 63 paragraph (1) of the PSDN Law expressly states that the president may declare a mobilisation if all or part of the territory of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia is in a state of military emergency or war", they continued.
Moreover they warned that Article 63 paragraph (2) of the PSDN Law requires the president to obtain the approval of the House of Representatives (DPR) before declaring the mobilisation of Komcad.
Therefore, the Coalition asserts that the deployment of the Komcad by the Ministry of Defence during a time of peace – without war – is an illegal mobilisation and an act of usurping the president's authority as the holder of supreme authority over the armed forces based on Article 10 of the 1945 Constitution (UUD 1945).
"It is important to remember that in Indonesian history, there have been several instances of troop deployment without authorisation from the president as the holder of supreme authority over the armed forces and the DPR in the capital, which has led to allegations of makar [treason, rebellion, subversion]", said the Coalition.
"We view the deployment of the Komcad as a clear attempt to pit civilians against each other. Komcad are not active-duty soldiers, but rather civilians who work daily as civil servants and carry out public service duties", they continued.
Aside from this, the Coalition views that the deployment of Komcad and the TNI in response to the demonstrations actually shows the government's view that criticism is not seen as a vital component of democracy, but as a threat, even a defence threat.
During today's demonstration, the student masses took up at least five demands:
1. Stop wasting the state budget (APBN)
2. Lower the price of basic necessities and fuel (BBM)
3. Stop the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program and the development of Red and White Village Cooperatives
4. Stop militarism in the civil sphere
5. Prabowo stop dodging and admit to government mistakes.
In addition to Jakarta, similar demonstrations also took place in several cities across Indonesia, such as in Bandung in West Java on Thursday June 11, and Solo in Central Java today.
Police response
Regarding the security of the student demonstration on Friday afternoon at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle which involved the TNI, the police argued that this was mandated by a Jakarta Governor's Regulation (Pergub).
"That under Gubernatorial Regulation Number 232/2015, there are provisions that require security at several points around the Senayan traffic circle, the Semanggi traffic circle, the HI traffic circle and the Horse Statue traffic circle", said Jakarta Metro Police public relations head Senior Commissioner Budi Hermanto at the location of the action quoted by detik.com.
"Those are areas that are not actually permitted for the expression of aspirations", he added.
According to Hermanto, the area represents the centre of Jakarta, the capital of the Republic of Indonesia. Furthermore, there are several public transportation routes used by the public.
"This is the epicentre of traffic. If congestion occurs, it impacts other arterial roads. Now, the impacts of this congestion impact on the rest of the public", he explained.
He explained that police officers will safeguard demonstrations in a humane manner and will not be easily provoked. This has been emphasised by Jakarta Metro Police Chief Commissioner General Asep Edi Suheri since the security roll call.
Regarding the involvement of the TNI and Komcad, CNN Indonesia contacted the head of the TNI's Information Centre (Puspen TNI) Brigadier General Muhammad Nas.
Nas replied that "Handling the demonstration is the responsibility of the police. Meanwhile the deployment of the TNI was based on a request for assistance". "This means the police remain at the forefront [in terms of securing the protesters]", he continued.
Earlier, Jakarta Metro Police explained their reasons for urging student protesters not to hold demonstrations in the HI traffic circle area.
Nevertheless, the police emphasised their continued support for citizens' constitutional rights to express their aspirations. They also urged that public expressions of opinion be conducted within the framework of applicable laws and regulations.
"The implementation of actions in the Jakarta area must comply with applicable regulations, one of which is Jakarta Governor Regulation Number 232/2015. This regulation serves as a pacing and balancing instrument to balance the rights of demonstrators to express their opinions with the rights of hundreds of thousands of other Jakarta residents to enjoy comfort, smooth activities and a sense of security", explained Hermanto in a statement.
As the primary rationale for this appeal, the police emphasised compliance with Article 6 of Law Number 9/1998 on Freedom of Expression in Public.
This regulation expressly mandates that in exercising their rights, every citizen has a legal obligation to respect the rights of others and maintain public order.
"Therefore, constitutional freedom of expression must continue to go hand in hand with respect for the wider public's right to mobility", he said. (team/kid)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Koalisi Sipil Protes TNI-Komcad Kawal Unjuk Rasa, Polisi Buka Suara".]
