REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesian Army Chief Gen Budiman held a teleconference on Sunday with Regional Military commanders across the country to check the security conditions in the runup to the legislative elections on Wednesday.
"We check the security conditions throughout the country through teleconference with regional military commands in an effort to assist the General Elections Commission (KPU) in carrying a free, fair, just, smooth and secure elections," Gen Budiman said at the Army's Headquarters here on Sunday.
During the teleconference, all of the country's regional military commands' chiefs explained the security conditions in their respective regions. In general, the security conditions are conducive for the 2014 legislative elections on Wednesday.
However, it was reported that there were escalations and heating up of security conditions in certain regions such as in Aceh.
Based on the report of Iskandar Muda Military Commander of Aceh, Maj. Gen. Pandu Wibowo, there are issues on efforts to disintegrate the nation as pointed out by a local political party when staging campaigns.
With regard to this, Army Chief General Budiman asked all layers of the Army to pay attention to the conditions in the face of and after the elections.
"In the 2004 and 2009 elections, political condition heated up before the legislative elections. It cooled down thereafter but slightly increased again before the presidential elections," Budiaman said.
However, he said, the heating up of the political conditions in the 2014 general elections is predicted not to be too high, yet all regional military commanders are asked to pay attention to it as political condition is expected to peak on the legislative elections day on April 9, 2014.
Indonesia is organizing a legislative election on April 9 and presidential race on July 9, 2014.