TNI Commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo has stirred controversy in the past month with warnings of a renewed communist threat to Indonesia and a claim that a non-military organization was trying to import thousands of weapons.

Read: Jokowi Mentions No Weapon Fiasco During TNI Anniversary

In a speech to a parade marking the TNI's 72nd anniversary, Jokowi said the armed forces are a national institution that should stay above politics and not be fragmented by narrow interests.

The military "should always ensure its political neutrality in the current democratic era," he said.

The TNI retreated from politics after the fall of dictator Suharto in 1998 ushered in democracy, but nearly two decades later a role limited to national defense is not fully accepted among officers or the rank-and-file. It has tried to inch back into civilian areas and resented the police's leading role in counter-terrorism.

Jokowi's predecessor as president was a former general, as was his main rival in the 2014 presidential election, Prabowo Subianto.

Read: TNI Showcases Weapons Defense System During Its Anniversary

General Gatot last month attended an Islamic political party's event at which he warned that communists were a renewed threat.

Earlier in the month, the four-star general claimed that a government institution tried to import 5,000 guns "on behalf" of Jokowi. The president's top security minister said the national intelligence service had ordered several hundred rifles from a state-owned weapons company for training purposes.

The TNI parade in Cilegon, West Java, comprised nearly 6,000 soldiers and most modern imported weaponry.

In a speech at the parade, Gatot Nurmantyo said soldiers are sworn to protect the Indonesian people and obey the president. "Do not doubt our loyalty," he said.

AP