Tb. Arie Rukmantara, Jakarta – Home Minister M. Ma'ruf supports the idea of soldiers being allowed to vote in the 2009 elections.

Ma'ruf, a retired Army lieutenant general, said Indonesian Military (TNI) soldiers should be allowed to vote in the general elections because it was their democratic right. "In a democratic country no one should be discriminated against," he said.

The debate about whether soldiers should be allowed to vote in the next elections was started by departing TNI chief Endriartono Sutarto. Endriartono said as the military was no longer directly involved in politics, soldiers should be allowed to vote.

Since the 2004 election, the TNI no longer has seats reserved for it in the House of Representatives. Its officers must also retire from active service if they want to join political parties. However, the 2003 Election Law stopped soldiers and police officers from voting in the last election.

Ma'ruf said the country was becoming increasingly democratic. The 2009 election would be the perfect time for soldiers to exercise their rights, he said.

Meanwhile, National Resilience Institute (Lemhanas) governor Muladi suggested the TNI should continue its internal reforms before dealing with the voting question. "There is no need to rush (the changes)," he said.

Activists and experts say the armed forces have yet to settle issues relating to their illegal businesses, alleged human rights abuses involving personnel and the restructuring of territorial commands.

Muladi agreed the right to vote was a basic right for all citizens, including soldiers. However, he suggested soldiers should be educated about politics to ensure they were not manipulated into conflict. "We are afraid the TNI (voters) will serve the interests of certain groups," he said.

Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) coordinator Usman Hamid also rejected the idea. "So far, the TNI has been an organization that has obstructed human rights campaigns here. I'm afraid they'll use their votes to weaken political parties fighting to uphold human rights principles by voting for parties that are willing to ignore human rights violations carried out by soldiers," he said.