Military 'must play its cards right'

The Indonesian Military (TNI) is seen as a force to be reckoned with in the presidential election in the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) in November. Political analyst J. Soedjati Djiwandono discusses the issue.

JAKARTA (JP): Calls have mounted for TNI representatives in the House of Representatives (DPR)/People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) to remain "neutral" and not vote in the presidential election to show their respect for the people's representative bodies. Traditionally, the TNI has been granted, although in increasingly small numbers, seats in the country's legislative bodies, whether or not it really deserved these seats.

By contrast, political parties, except for Golkar in the past, had to earn their seats in these bodies through hard-fought general elections; a costly exercise in terms of financial and human resources. Most of these parties have fallen in the political battle.

Therefore, it would be a waste of their privileges for TNI representatives in the DPR/MPR to act as mere spectators. It would also be an insult to the TNI, the DPR/MPR, the country's foremost law-making bodies, and the nation.

TNI representation should be properly used to serve the interests of the people. Indonesian Military Commander Gen. Wiranto has rightly affirmed the TNI will fully participate in the MPR. And Lt. Gen. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono recently stated the next president should be the best son or daughter of the nation. Clearly, TNI will not take gender into account in the presidential election.

I beg to differ slightly, however, on the second point. Nobody wants an incapable president, but in a democracy the qualifications of a candidate are to be left to the judgment of the electorate. People vote for a candidate for different reasons, most probably known only to themselves. It is in this sense that democracy has little to do with quality. It has to do with the people's trust.

People may make mistakes, but a democracy provides the people an opportunity to correct their errors. For their own part, leaders have to perform their duties well if they are interested in reelection. And indeed, the office often makes the man.

While the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) has garnered the largest number of votes in the elections, it is not likely to command a majority in the MPR. Coalitions among political parties will therefore be unavoidable.

Megawati's failure to be elected president would be something her supporters would find difficult to digest. The constitutional complexity of the Indonesian political system may not be the kind of language the majority of these people understand.

It may be assumed that for its supporters, voting for PDI Perjuangan implied a hope, expectation or at least acceptance of Megawati's election as the next president. Here lies the gap between the people, mostly politically uninitiated, and the political elite, represented by political party leaders, in understanding politics.

The elections were, after all, for representatives in the DPR/MPR, not for the president. In theory, the MPR can elect anyone it chooses in the presidential election, not necessarily a figure from a political party, not even a party which won the majority of the votes.

Here we can see one of the most serious weaknesses of the 1945 Constitution. It is a Constitution which has never been proven to work, except in building a system of dictatorship. To prove the point, first we had the so-called Old Order with its "guided democracy", then the New Order with its "Pancasila democracy".

The TNI could very well play a crucial role in the presidential election. While the procedures for the election have not yet been determined by the MPR, if voting should take place on the basis of one-man, one-vote, voting could either be done openly or by secret ballot. Either way, there is a price to pay. In the Indonesian context, the latter method may lead to money politics. If the former is used, representatives may feel constrained by party loyalty.

In my view, open-voting is preferable because it is more educational. Indonesian politicians must learn to listen first to his or her own conscience. This should be followed by loyalty to the country and its people and their respective constituencies. Only then are politicians to listen to their political parties. In that order!

In light of the currently changing and confusing positions of political parties on the issue of the president, some kind of a stalemate is likely. It may be messy. Here TNI (along with regional and interest group representatives) may play a key role in tipping the balance in favor of one candidate or the other.

TNI should move where the wind of reform blows. It should properly respond to the mood and expectations of the people. That will be the responsibility of the TNI representatives in the DPR/MPR. If it does this, the people are bound to be grateful rather than resentful of its unelected seats in the legislature.

Indeed, TNI may serve not only as the kingmaker, but more importantly, the maker of the correct king -- or queen. But it must play its cards right.