Indonesia’s jobs for generals plan alarms rights groups

JAKARTA, Indonesia  — The Indonesian government is planning to post some of the military’s dozens of underemployed generals into high-ranking civilian roles, alarming rights groups who see it as a threat to the country’s young democracy.

Indonesia’s military has at least 150 generals without defined positions, partly due to a rise in the retirement age, and President Joko Widodo is planning a regulation to create 60 new posts for them in the civilian bureaucracy.

Al Araf, the director of Indonesian rights group Imparsial, said Thursday the plan is inconsistent with the reforms that followed the end of dictator Suharto’s rule in 1998 and has the potential to bring back authoritarian government.

Currently, active military officers can only serve in ministries or institutions related to state security and defense. /gsg