TNI flexes its muscles over political privilege
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Amid mounting controversy over its political role, the Indonesian Military (TNI) said on Monday that it wanted to remain in the legislature until 2009, until it consolidated itself.
Outgoing TNI chief Adm. Widodo A.S. warned that the proposed bill on general elections that would force TNI/National Police to leave the legislature in 2004 contradicted a People's Consultative Assembly decree allowing it to stay in the country's highest legislature until 2009.
Should the bill that grants voting rights to military and police personnel be passed into law, Widodo said TNI would demand that its implementation be delayed to ensure TNI's internal consolidation.
"I believe that political rights are part of the basic rights of my soldiers. But we must consider many things, including the impact of its implementation," Widodo told a press conference at TNI headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta.
Also present at the press conference were, among others, all chiefs of staff, TNI chief for general affairs Lt. Gen. Djamari Chaniago, newly appointed chief of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) Lt. Gen. Bibit Waluyo, and chief of TNI's Strategic Intelligence Body (Bais) Vice Air Marshall Ian Santoso Perdanakusumah.
Widodo is scheduled to hand over his command to his successor Gen. Endriartono Sutarto in a ceremony at Cilangkap on Tuesday.
TNI spokesman Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin elaborated on Widodo's statement, saying that TNI needed time to educate the military personnel about such political rights to ensure solidity, considering that "we only recognize singular loyalty."
Asked whether the TNI was actually reluctant to leave the House of Representatives as well as the Assembly, Sjafrie said: "TNI agrees to leave the House in 2004 and the Assembly in 2009, but we need more time to make arrangements, including developing communication with soldiers, should we be allowed to vote."
Both Sjafrie and Widodo referred to Assembly Decree No. 7/2000 that grants seats to TNI/National Police at the Assembly until 2009.
Should the newly proposed bill be approved by the House, TNI must leave the Assembly ahead of schedule.
Article 93 of the bill grants both TNI and the National Police the right to vote even if they are still in active duty.
Nevertheless the bill also stipulates that servicemen who wish to pursue a political career must resign from its institution and compete as civilian politicians through the Regional Representative Council (DPD).
The DPD, along with the House of Representatives, will make up the Assembly.
The last time TNI and the police were granted the right to vote was in 1955, after which they have been barred from elections. In return, they are assured seats in both the House and the Assembly.
The Ministry of Home Affairs, led by former TNI/National Police faction chief at the House, shook the public when it submitted the bill on general elections that would force TNI/National Police to vacate the legislature in 2004.
Debates on the bill have not started yet, but already conflicting opinions surround the granting of voting rights to military and police personnel.
Major factions like President Megawati Soekarnoputri's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, the Golkar faction and the United Development Party faction favor the granting of voting rights to the military and police, but smaller factions like the National Mandate Party faction oppose the move.
Experts, nevertheless, warned that granting TNI voting rights too soon could jeopardize its internal reform.
Kusnanto Anggoro of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and M. Riefqi Muna of the RiDEP Institute said that the decision to give the military political rights was not wise considering that TNI was still far from becoming professional.
"I think we must give some 'punishment' to TNI for its past violations by denying them the right to vote at least until 2009, and until 2013 for the right to be elected," Kusnanto told The Jakarta Post.