The Appearance of the Military as A Political Force in Indonesia

Abstract

This study aims to determine the background of the emergence of the military as a political force in Indonesia. The method used is the historical method by performing four stages, namely: heuristics, criticism, interpretation, and historiography. The results showed that the occurrence of regional upheaval that wanted to separate from the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia during the Old Order era, as a form of disappointment with the central government, was considered by the military as a threat to the integrity and sovereignty of the nation and state. Therefore, the military considers the need for a political concept and strategy to overcome this. So the concept of an army middle ground was initiated by Abdul Haris Nasution which in turn gave birth to Dwifungsi. As the embodiment of Dwifungsi, the military seeks to ward off threats that come from within and outside. With the enactment of a state of danger or martial law law, the military will increasingly carry out its political functions by keeping in view the state situation at that time.