Alvin Darlanika Soedarjo, Jakarta – Lawmakers and the Indonesian Military (TNI) are disagreeing on whether or not soldiers should be allowed to vote in a general election.
Djoko Susilo, a member of the House of Representatives' Commission I overseeing defense, believes a soldier, as a citizen, has the right to vote.
"I endorse the proposal to have military personnel vote because they have the right as citizens," Djoko, who is also a member of the National Mandate Party, told The Jakarta Post on Friday. "Should they be hindered from doing so, their rights are being violated inhumanely," he said.
Lawmaker Theo L. Sambuaga, who chairs the commission, also advocates giving soldiers the freedom to vote. "A citizen should have the right to vote, regardless of his or her ethnicity, religion or background," Theo told the Post. "Hampering soldiers from voting is discrimination," said Theo.
The legislators say they believe that there should be no limits on who can vote, including military personnel.
"The president (Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono) should have reconsidered when verbalizing his disagreement over the soldiers' right (to vote)," Djoko said.
"It's the right time to change. If the country seeks democracy, we must leave behind the assumption that giving soldiers the right would tear their squads apart," Theo said. "By letting them vote, it means we take part in fostering democracy in Indonesia," Djoko told the Post.
Djoko and Theo said countries with sound democracies – such as the United States, the United Kingdom, India and Australia – allowed all of their citizens, including military personnel, to vote in general elections. "Indonesia faces a setback if it does not allow soldiers to vote," Djoko said.
Army chief Gen. Djoko Santoso, however, said the right to vote was not his major concern. "It's not urgent to give military officers voting rights," the army chief said.
"The military doesn't have the authority to determine whether or not they have the right to vote, only the government and legislators in the House do," he said Friday at a press conference after a leadership meeting in his office. Earlier, the Indonesian Military commander Air Chief Marshal Djoko Suyanto similarly said voting rights for the military were not urgent.
"We don't want to be in a hurry to determine our standpoint," said Djoko.