Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Armando Siahaan – The House of Representatives is divided once again, this time over a renewed date over whether soldiers should win back their right to vote.
Anis Matta, House deputy speaker from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), said he supported allowing members of the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) to vote.
The right was removed by the late former President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid after the fall of President Suharto.
Under the New Order era, the doctrine of dwi fungsi (dual function) turned the TNI into a powerful institution that wielded control over the country's political and economic spheres.
Anis said progress had made the ban obsolete. "Our political system is already solid, and the dualism is long gone, so it would not be a problem," he said. The TNI had been restructured and reformed "even better than other institutions."
Priyo Budi Santoso, House deputy speaker from Golkar, said the party had long backed the move. Golkar was Suharto's "New Order" political vehicle. Priyo said allowing the TNI to vote would not revive militarism but the party would ask if they were ready for the change.
Defense Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. I Wayan Midhio said the military was weighing the issue. "It's alright for anyone to have opinions on the issue but we must wait for the military to complete the study first," he said.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said last week that in principle, voting was a fundamental human right for every citizen, including those in the TNI. But he was worried that giving the military the vote might cause divisions in the institution.
Yudhoyono said the issue had to be studied further by all camps, including the government, the House, the public and the TNI itself.
However, House Speaker Marzuki Alie, of the Democratic Party, said society had yet to fully eliminate poll violence and money politics. He feared the Army might be provoked to join in. "The political stability would then be disturbed," Marzuki said.
National Awakening Party (PKB) chairman Marwan Jaffar said the military and police should remain neutral, serving as guardians to all civilian groups. "It's better for them to keep politically neutral," he said.
Syarifuddin Sudding, of the People's Conscience Party (Hanura), said the country should not return to a time when the military and police had dual functions.
If soldiers were given the right to vote it could divide them into political groups, he said. "We are still reviewing the plan. But for us, it's better for the security agencies to keep their current stance," Sudding said.