Legal Literacy - The DPR (House of Representatives) and the Government reject the lawsuit against the TNI Law (Armed Forces Law) on the grounds of 'legal standing.' Examine the legal analysis of why this argument is dangerous and threatens the constitutional rights of all citizens.

Introduction

The follow-up hearing on the formal review of the Indonesian National Army Law (UU TNI) in the Constitutional Court (MK) should have been a space for substantive dialogue. However, the opposite happened. This hearing shows a dangerous tendency: the state, through the arguments of the DPR and the Government, is trying to close the door to citizen participation in overseeing the process of forming laws.

In a hearing held on Monday, June 23, 2025, the DPR and the Government insisted that the petitioners from the civil society coalition did not have legal standing (legal standing). The reason? Because they are not soldiers, prospective members of the TNI, or ASN (State Civil Apparatus) in the defense sector. In other words, they are not considered “parties with a direct interest.”

This argument is not only legally flawed, but also betrays the essence of democracy. It reduces the constitutional rights of citizens to mere administrative matters and affirms that only certain elites are allowed to speak.