The ‘proxy war’ narrative had been frequently aired by the Indonesian military, especially the Army as an avenue to augment its presence in the civilian domain. The ‘proxy war’ narrative is also a broader effort by the Indonesian Army (TNI-AD) to preserve its relevance under the Jokowi government’s Global Maritime Fulcrum vision.

Indonesia’s Military Commander, General Gatot Nurmantyo, has frequently articulated his concern over proxy wars that have the potential of ripping the country apart. He emphasised that such a threat is intangible and its impact on national cohesiveness is serious.

This form of threat, according to General Nurmantyo, does not propagate organically, but is orchestrated vicariously by foreign entities wishing to assume direct control over the country’s resources such as food, water and energy, through the use of strategically-placed domestic collaborators or subsidiaries, namely NGOs, media, social interest groups and individuals.

… Keoni Marzuki is a Research Analyst at the Indonesia Programme, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.