Report shows TNI, Police fit to vote

Bernie K. Moestafa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A joint report by four research institutes says the Indonesian Military (TNI) and National Police personnel should vote in the 2004 general elections despite the skepticism among the TNI's top officials.

The report said all it took were election rules that would prevent the two state institutions from transgressing into politics.

"As citizens, the TNI and National Police have a right to vote," the report stated, as read during a media briefing by the Indonesian Working Group on Security Reforms on Monday.

The working group consists of analysts from the National Institute of Sciences (LIPI), the Independent Center For Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the Ridep Institute, and the political research body Propatria.

LIPI political studies head Ikrar Nusa Bhakti said the TNI had no excuse not to vote in the 2004 general election if cracks within its own ranks were the only concern.

Proper election regulations could prevent the TNI from being divided over its members' political preferences, he said.

One example would be to ban the TNI and police members from joining political parties' campaigns or becoming members of any party.

Rules should also ban TNI or police officers from becoming members of the general election committee. Nor should they be allowed to wear military or police uniforms when they vote.

"Indeed, members of the TNI or the police shouldn't be allowed to openly express their political preferences," Ikrar said.

Controversy over the voting rights emerged following the recent submission of the general election bill to the House of Representatives.

The bill stipulates the military start voting in 2004 and in return vacate their free seats in the legislature.

Current laws allow the military and the police to occupy seats in the House till 2004 and in the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) till 2009.

The bill's proposition, however, met with criticism from legislators and the TNI's top brass, over fears it could cause cracks within the military.

"If they aren't ready to just go to the poll booths and vote, then we must ask ourselves how ready they are to defend this country," said CSIS analyst Rizal Sukma.

Ikrar said the TNI might have a hidden agenda, which he suspected was to maintain their seats in the legislature.

He said the TNI might be using the voting issue to maintain their free seats by waiving their voting rights.

"We must watch out for trade offs where the TNI can maintain or even extend their presence in the legislature," Ikrar said.

Signs of this happening surfaced with legislators debating amendments to the 1945 Constitution, agreeing to retain the military presence until 2009.

The latest amendment draft of the Constitution has adopted an article in which the MPR would consist of non-elected function groups, and a supplementary regulation stipulating the military and the police are members of the groups.

Previously, it has been agreed the MPR would consist of members of the House and the so-named Regional Representatives Council (DPD) -- who will all be elected.

Although the MPR ad hoc committee I, in charge of the amendment process, recently dropped the supplementary regulation, it kept the option open for non-elected members to join the MPR.

Several legislators said the TNI/National Police had agreed to drop the regulation as they still had MPR decree VII/2000 which granted them free seats until 2009.

If legislators pass the election bill, the MPR would have to annul the decree which bans the military and police from voting.

Deliberating the bill would also mean that the TNI's only chance of securing a seat in the MPR would be through the DPD.

But even this possibility is under fire, as members of the TNI could not represent regions, said Ridep executive director Riefqi Muna.