Armando Siahaan – Even supporters of the controversial idea to allow armed forces personnel to vote say that if the right were to be returned, certain conditions would have to be met.
Nurul Arifin, the deputy secretary general of Golkar Party, which supports the idea, said there would need to be a massive re-education campaign within both the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the public.
"The TNI by nature runs on a strict chain of command, with no room for dissension," she said in a dialogue with reporters on Friday. "That in itself runs counter to the principles of democracy."
As such, she went on, the TNI top brass would need to acknowledge that it could not dictate how the rank and file should vote in a democratic election, in effect suspending the chain of command.
"No soldier should ever be ordered how to vote," Nurul stressed. She also warned of the risk of vote-buying targeted at low-paid soldiers.
Nurul said the issue also required a shift in the public's perception of the TNI when it came to politics, which has long been informed by suspicion over the New Order regime's use of the armed forces to consolidate its hold on power.
"The public needs to drop its preconceptions about the TNI because they're a more professional unit now," she said, adding that the onus would be on the TNI to prove it could be a neutral and independent participant in the democratic process.
Agus Purnomo, a top executive of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), said while his party supported suffrage for soldiers, it was important to ensure the TNI would not get involved in campaigning ahead of elections. He said that if it did, it would debunk any notion that the institution was neutral or capable of maintaining security for the polls.
Agus also pointed out that the TNI's vast intelligence-gathering capacity could allow it to influence poll results, which could be misused by outsiders or TNI insiders with vested interests.
Others, however, remained staunchly against the idea of returning the vote to soldiers. Achmad Muzani, secretary general of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), said suffrage was simply not a priority for the military.
He said it would be more pertinent for the government to address the issue of soldiers' welfare, including possible salary increases.
Abdillah Fauzi Achmad, chairman of the opposition People's Conscience Party (Hanura) at the House or Representatives, agreed, adding that soldiers' votes would have little bearing on the overall political landscape anyway.
He pointed out there were a combined one million personnel in the TNI and police, who are also not allowed to vote, which would be insufficient to sway support for any party looking for a seat in the House.
Abdillah also warned of the risk of armed conflict breaking out within the ranks over rival political preferences.
University of Indonesia political analyst Irman Putra Sidin said the TNI had shown the most improvement among all the state institutions since the advent of the reform era, and thrusting it back into politics now would only disrupt the internal progress and stability it had achieved.