Military and police voting rights

Law Lo. 3/1999 on general elections stipulates that military members do not have voting rights or a right to be elected. The present bill stipulates otherwise.

The problem is whether allowing a member of the military or the police to became a legislator is tantamount to pulling the military and police closer to the political arena. The most feasible way would be to have them first leave the military or police service.

The exercising of voting rights could be a stronger reason to abolish representation of the military and the police in the legislature. But, then, the problem is whether by exercising their voting rights would loosen the bond between a soldier and his commander.

In a number of countries, military personnel have voting rights. However, this is applicable in countries where the military has kept a very great distance from politics.

Politicians surely think that a stipulation of the People's Consultative Assembly is a political decision and is therefore amendable. Hence fears may be justified of military and police members being led into political adventures.

Signs of this are clear through the vying of politicians to be the first to support this government-proposed bill.

-- Koran Tempo, Jakarta