Time for military to vote: Assembly speaker

People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Taufik Kiemas deems the 2014 elections as the right time for Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel to vote.

He said, however, it would be up to the TNI whether to exercise their political right or not.

“We have to ask the TNI if they are ready to vote in 2014. If they are not prepared for that, we cannot force them because the military is the force that unites the nation,” Taufik, who is an Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle senior figure, was quoted by kompas.com during a visit to the North Sumatra capital of Medan on Friday.

Previously TNI chief Gen. Djoko Santoso had said the TNI Staff and Command College was studying the possibility for military personnel to vote in the 2014 elections.