Expert Concerned with Generals` Participation in Elections

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - At least five active police and military generals will reportedly run in the upcoming simultaneous regional head elections in 2018.

Siti Zuhro, a political observer with the Indonesian Sciences Institute (LIPI), said the general’s participation in elections is a new phenomenon in Indonesia. According to Siti, most military personnel who run in regional heads elections are retired.

“[Political] parties have failed to produce high-quality cadres. Therefore, they endorse active generals who have leadership skills and network,” Siti said on Monday, December 25.

According to Siti, the phenomenon is alarming as the situation could cause manipulation. For instance, Siti went on, there could be intimidations to vote for certain candidates or the National Police could be reluctant in investigating disputes reported by the General Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu).

According to Siti, the National Police or the Indonesian Military could lose their objectivity by supporting their personnel.

National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian called on generals who ould run in regional head elections to resign earlier before the candidate pairs are set, “in order to avoid a conflict of interests.”

Military commander Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto guaranteed that the Indonesian Military would remain neutral, although military generals are participating in elections.

“Military’s neutrality is on top of everything,” he said.

HUSSEIN ABRI