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Don’t drag military, police into politics again: Rights watchdogs
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House of Representative members attend a session at the House building. The lawmakers have started deliberating an amendment to the Regional Election Law. (Kompas/-)
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awmakers have been warned not to drag the military nor the police into politics by allowing their respective personnel to take part in the upcoming regional elections.
"This idea would open the door for the military and police to engage in politics once again, like during the New Order [1966-1998]," Al Araf, the executive director of human rights watchdog Imparsial, said in Jakarta on Thursday.
Al Araf referred to current deliberations of an amendment to the Regional Election Law by the House of Representatives, of which some factions have proposed to allow soldiers and police officers to seek candidacy in the regional elections without resigning from their military or police posts.
The amendment is being discussed by House Commission II overseeing home affairs. Prevailing law requires soldiers, police officers and civil servants to submit resignation letters if they want to contest an election.
However, several fractions, including the Golkar Party and Gerindra Party have expressed their objections to the requirement.
"Soldiers, police officers and civil servants are public posts, while a lawmaker or regional head is a political post. Hence those posts can’t be treated the same,” Al Araf stressed. The Indonesian Military (TNI) was known for its dual role concept during the New Order, with members actively involved in politics and business. The military ran newspapers and radio stations and issued recommendation letters for job applications, arrested criminals and settled both large-scale conflicts in Jakarta and disputes in villages.
An amendment to the Constitution during the Reform Era removed the military’s dual role.
Bahrain, the advocacy director of the Foundation of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI) said that the participation of military and police officers in the regional elections would contravene the 2004 TNI Law and the 2002 National Police Law, both of which prohibit them from being involved in politics.
"The elimination of the resignation requirement will harm the mandate of our democracy," he said. (vps/bbn)
