PDI-P drops proposal on military<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) withdrew on
\nFriday its proposal to insert an article into the military bill
\nbeing deliberated by the House of Representatives banning newly
\nretired military personnel from politics.<\/p>\n
PDI-P legislator Amris Hasan said his faction had accepted the
\nIndonesian Military (TNI)'s argument that the bill should deal
\nonly with active military personnel.<\/p>\n
\"The stipulation (banning newly retired military personnel
\nfrom politics) will be taken up in other bills. We accept the
\nexplanation from the TNI chief (Endriartono Sutarto),\" Amris told
\nThe Jakarta Post here on Friday.<\/p>\n
The PDI-P, the largest faction in the House, had sought to
\ninclude in the military bill an article requiring military
\npersonnel to stay out of politics for at least two years after
\ntheir retirement. The National Awakening Party (PKB), the fourth
\nlargest faction in the House, also supported the proposal.<\/p>\n
Despite its pledge to withdraw from politics, the TNI remains
\none of the most influential political entities in the country.<\/p>\n
In the first round of the presidential election on July 5,
\nthree of the 10 presidential and vice presidential candidates had
\na military background, raising fears that the military was
\nstaging a political comeback.<\/p>\n
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who will face incumbent President
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri of the PDI-P in the election runoff on
\nSept. 20, is a retired four-star Army general.<\/p>\n
PDI-P faction spokesman Permadi insisted on Friday all retired
\nmilitary personnel must wait for two years before joining a
\npolitical party or entering into formal politics.<\/p>\n
Amris said this \"two-year interval\" would assure the retired
\nmilitary personnel would not use the military network for their
\npolitical purposes.<\/p>\n
\"Without the interval, newly retired military personnel can
\nstill use his or her influence for personal interests,\" said
\nAmris, deputy chairman of the House's defense commission.<\/p>\n
During past hearings with legislators, some defense experts
\nhave suggested that military officers should be banned from
\npolitics for a certain period of time to prevent active military
\nofficers from using their positions for political gain.<\/p>\n
Gen. Endriartono agreed in principle that military personnel
\nshould be prevented from entering the political arena immediately
\nupon retirement, but suggested the issue be taken up in other
\nbills, not the military bill.<\/p>\n
\"The TNI bill regulates active military personnel, while
\nregulations related to political activities should be put in the
\npolitical party law or other related laws,\" said Endriartono, who
\nalong with Ministry of Defense secretary-general Rear Marshal
\nSuprihadi represented the government in the deliberation of the
\nbill.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Hari
\nSabarno was absent from the deliberations on Friday.<\/p>\n
The lawmakers agreed to adjourn the deliberations until
\nSaturday night.<\/p>\n
With just about 10 days left before legislators end their
\nfive-year term on Sept. 30, it is unlikely the lawmakers will be
\nable to finish deliberating some of the more contentious issues
\nin the bill.<\/p>",
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