The Future of Indonesia’s Democracy: Governance Through Security and Lessons from an Authoritarian Past

• History
• World

• Revitalizing History

This policy brief examines the expanding role of Indonesia's armed forces in civilian governance under Prabowo Subianto within the context of the country's broader historical trajectory and the 2025 revision of Indonesian law, which expands the military's civilian reach and extends its mandate into cyber defense, border management, and public administration. These changes underscore how bureaucratic incapacity and geopolitical uncertainty sustain the military's influence under democratic rule.

Key Takeaways

• Since the inauguration of President Prabowo Subianto in October 2024, Indonesia has entered a new phase in its democratic experiment-one that revives the military's institutional power in civilian life. Active-duty and former military men now play important roles in nonmilitary affairs, from cabinet appointments to public welfare programs, disaster relief, and forestry management.
• A cycle of weak civilian institutions has led the government to rely on the military and police to govern. This expansion into civilian domains distracts from the primary responsibility of the military to provide defense.
• The 2025 Law on the Armed Forces, which expands the military's role, signals a structural recalibration in Indonesian civil-military relations and risks reversing two decades of reform, weakening professional institutions.
• Effective reforms must focus on fostering civilian institutional capacity. A sustainable civil-military balance depends on building competent civilian agencies and clear legal jurisdictions between the two, thus ensuring the state can govern without defaulting to the military.

The Future of Indonesia's Democracy: Governance Through Security and Lessons from an Authoritarian Past [HH... by Hoover Institution

Cite this essay:

Norman Joshua, "The Future of Indonesia's Democracy: Governance through Security and Lessons from an Authoritarian Past," Hoover Institution, Hoover History Lab Policy Brief no. 2602, March 2026.