Retired officers recruited as legislative aspirants

Retired officers recruited as legislative aspirants

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Virtually all big political parties have recruited former
military or police officers as legislative candidates, a move
aimed at luring as many voters as possible in the 2004 elections.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Golkar,
the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the National Mandate Party
have all enlisted former military and police officers as party
leaders and candidates in the upcoming elections.

Even the United Development Party (PPP), which, during the 33-
year rule of former dictator Soeharto, was largely shunned by the
military and police, has several retired officers as its
legislative candidates.

"They remain major assets to the country. Besides, it is their
political right to join parties especially now that they have
left their institutions," Slamet Effendy Yusuf of the Golkar
Party told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

PDI-P has recruited Lt. Gen. (ret) Slamet Supriyadi, Insp.
Gen. (ret) Adang Ruchiyatna and Insp. Gen. (ret) Nurdin as their
legislative candidates, while PPP nominated former attorney
general Maj. Gen. (ret) Andi Ghalib and former minister of
information Lt. Gen. (ret) Yunus Yosfiah.

Golkar, which during Soeharto's regime became the main
political bandwagon of former military and police officers, had
enlisted Lt. Gen. (ret) Budhi Harsono in their legislative list.

Effendy Yusuf said there was no reason to fear the inclusion
of retired security officers would facilitate the return of the
military into the country's political life.

"We have many new regulations that ensure democracy and
provide no room for the military to return," he said.

PPP secretary general Endin Soefihara said the presence of
retired generals in his party was supported by their
constituents.

"None of those names are appointed, so as long as our
constituents want these men to be their representatives, we do
not see any problems," Endin said.

He said the retired generals were assets to the party as these
former security officers had capability and experience in the
nation's politics.

The country had agreed that the military and police faction
would be eliminated from the House of Representatives (DPR) in
2004 and from the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) in 2009.

The newly amended 1945 Constitution stipulates that the
military focus on its defense role, and police on its security
role, and must relinquish their political roles.

The changes are one of the most significant results of the
reform movement as the military under Soeharto's rule used to
dominate the country's politics.