PDI-P drops proposal on military

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) withdrew on Friday its proposal to insert an article into the military bill being deliberated by the House of Representatives banning newly retired military personnel from politics.

PDI-P legislator Amris Hasan said his faction had accepted the Indonesian Military (TNI)'s argument that the bill should deal only with active military personnel.

"The stipulation (banning newly retired military personnel from politics) will be taken up in other bills. We accept the explanation from the TNI chief (Endriartono Sutarto)," Amris told The Jakarta Post here on Friday.

The PDI-P, the largest faction in the House, had sought to include in the military bill an article requiring military personnel to stay out of politics for at least two years after their retirement. The National Awakening Party (PKB), the fourth largest faction in the House, also supported the proposal.

Despite its pledge to withdraw from politics, the TNI remains one of the most influential political entities in the country.

In the first round of the presidential election on July 5, three of the 10 presidential and vice presidential candidates had a military background, raising fears that the military was staging a political comeback.

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who will face incumbent President Megawati Soekarnoputri of the PDI-P in the election runoff on Sept. 20, is a retired four-star Army general.

PDI-P faction spokesman Permadi insisted on Friday all retired military personnel must wait for two years before joining a political party or entering into formal politics.

Amris said this "two-year interval" would assure the retired military personnel would not use the military network for their political purposes.

"Without the interval, newly retired military personnel can still use his or her influence for personal interests," said Amris, deputy chairman of the House's defense commission.

During past hearings with legislators, some defense experts have suggested that military officers should be banned from politics for a certain period of time to prevent active military officers from using their positions for political gain.

Gen. Endriartono agreed in principle that military personnel should be prevented from entering the political arena immediately upon retirement, but suggested the issue be taken up in other bills, not the military bill.

"The TNI bill regulates active military personnel, while regulations related to political activities should be put in the political party law or other related laws," said Endriartono, who along with Ministry of Defense secretary-general Rear Marshal Suprihadi represented the government in the deliberation of the bill.

Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Hari Sabarno was absent from the deliberations on Friday.

The lawmakers agreed to adjourn the deliberations until Saturday night.

With just about 10 days left before legislators end their five-year term on Sept. 30, it is unlikely the lawmakers will be able to finish deliberating some of the more contentious issues in the bill.