Jakarta – Outgoing Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto's suggestion that soldiers be allowed to vote in the 2009 elections has caused an outcry among those who fear the military still has too much power.
Arguing the TNI was "mature enough" to vote, Endriartono said denying soldiers the chance to decide on the leadership of the country would "amount to violating (their) human rights". But the general's critics believe the TNI is still far from mature.
"Are they ready to exercise their (voting) rights? I don't think so," legislator Tjahjo Kumolo, who chairs the Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle faction in the House of Representatives, said Friday.
Tjahjo said soldiers remained highly influenced by the structure of command, meaning they could easily be ordered by their superiors to vote for a certain party, executive or presidential candidate. "Soldiers may be ready to vote but their commanders... are likely to have their own political agenda," he said.
Others in the House agreed. Deputy Speaker Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno and former Army chief Gen. (ret) Tyasno Sudarto told Antara that no TNI member should be involved in politics or given the right to vote.
As the apolitical defender of the state, the military should not be represented in any party, they said.
The head of human rights watchdog Imparsial, Rachland Nashidik, said giving soldiers the right to vote in the next elections, before the TNI was properly reformed, could unduly influence the outcome of the 2009 polls.
"The TNI has yet to finish its reform agenda. Soldiers' votes could possibly be mobilized to support former military members running in the 2009 general elections," he said.
The group's research coordinator, Al Araf, said the military had yet to reform its structure, culture and doctrines. "They are still implementing the territorial command structure, and they have yet to eliminate TNI businesses," he said.
Meanwhile, military expert J. Kristiadi of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said he thought allowing soldiers to vote would be a positive step. Kristiadi said the civilian rights of military personnel should not be infringed. People are too paranoid about the idea of giving soldiers here the vote, he said.
"(Most) other big democratic countries, such as the US, Australia and countries in Europe, give their soldiers the right to vote." The election monitoring process is becoming increasingly sophisticated and any attempts by military leaders to force their soldiers to vote in a particular way could be easily detected, he said.
The only election the military has been allowed to vote in took place in 1955 under former president Sukarno. When Soeharto's New Order regime took over, the military was given from 70 to 100 seats in the House in lieu of soldiers' right to vote in elections. This provided the military a space in the political arena, later called its "dual function".
After the reform era began in 1998, the military's seats in the House were gradually eliminated. Under the 2004 Military Law, soldiers are not allowed to run for elected positions, but the law does not prohibit them from voting. The 2003 General Election Law, meanwhile, explicitly banned soldiers from voting in the 2004 general elections.