'Bill shuts out alternative presidential candidates'<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Prodemocracy activists, analysts and mass media are certainly not
\nthe only ones longing for the emergence of a strong, fair and
\nwise national leader to bring the nation out of its prolonged
\ncrisis, uphold justice and build peace.<\/p>\n
The general public and those living in conflict-ridden regions
\nequally wish for strong leadership, but their wish is likely not
\nto become a reality anytime soon as the current administration
\nand the political factions at the House of Representatives (DPR)
\nare in a heated debate about how presidential candidates
\ncontending the 2004 general election should be limited to as few
\nas possible.<\/p>\n
Two main arguments have emerged from the current deliberation
\nof the presidential election bill, sparking criticism from
\npolitical analysts and prodemocracy activists. The first is
\nwhether the legislative election should be held at the same time
\nas the presidential election, while the second is whether
\npresidential candidates should be limited.<\/p>\n
The multiparty government preparing the bill has proposed that
\nthe legislative election and the presidential election be held
\nseparately and that there is a limit put on the number of
\npresidential candidates running in the election. Only political
\nparties winning 20 percent of the seats in the legislature are
\nallowed to nominate presidential candidates.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Democratic Party for Struggle (PDI Perjuangan)
\nand the Golkar Party, two major factions in the legislative body,
\nhave thrown their weight behind the bill, saying that the two
\nproposals were aimed at maintaining a check-and-balance system as
\nwell as the election's efficiency and effectiveness.<\/p>\n
The bill, especially those two contentions, has drawn protests
\nfrom non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and political analysts
\nas well as create strong opposition from minority political
\nparties allowed to nominate presidential candidates.<\/p>\n
They are questioning what the coalition government and major
\nparties have in mind to win the presidential election and
\nmaintain their status quo.<\/p>\n
Sjahrir, the chairman of the New Indonesia Party (PIB), and
\nRyaas Rasyid, the chairman of the National Democratic Party,
\nbroke the bill down into sections, accusing the current
\nadministration of being unwilling to have new faces emerge to
\nlead the country.<\/p>\n
Angry with the possibility of limited presidential candidates,
\nAmien Rais, the chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly
\n(MPR) and the chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN), a
\nminority faction at the House, has successfully lobbied the
\nUnited Development Party (PPP) and the Crescent Star Party (PBB)
\nto reject the two chapters, which he said would certainly
\nundermine democracy.<\/p>\n
Amien, who is preparing to run in the presidential election,
\nhas instructed his party faction to fight for holding both
\nelections at the same time and not limiting the number of
\npresidential candidates.<\/p>\n
Chapter Six of the amended 1945 Constitution stipulates that
\npresidential and vice presidential candidates are nominated by
\npolitical parties or a coalition of parties declared eligible for
\nthe general election.<\/p>\n
\"To generate efficiency, the presidential election (the first
\nround) should be held simultaneously with the legislative
\nelection because there will be two rounds in the presidential
\nelection,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Aberson Marle Sihaloho, a senior member of PDI Perjuangan,
\nhailed the planned direct presidential election, which he has
\nlong fought for.<\/p>\n
\"With the bill's two contentious chapters, PDI Perjuangan,
\nGolkar and the military are strongly trying to intervene, if not
\ntake over, the people's right to elect their own president
\nthrough a direct election, which looks inevitable for 2004,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He said the coalition administration and major parties were
\nimplementing two scenarios to maintain the status quo.<\/p>\n
\"First, major parties (PDI Perjuangan and Golkar) want to
\nlimit presidential candidates so that only two parties plus
\nseveral minority ones would be allowed to nominate candidates.
\nThat way, the people can only elect a president from the
\ncandidates proposed by the major faction. The two parties are
\neying widely accepted figures from the Muhammadiyah and the
\nNadhlatul Ulama (NU), two large Muslim organizations, to win the
\nhearts of people.<\/p>\n
\"Second, a ruling that the presidential election be held two
\nor three months after the legislative election would give the
\nnext MPR numerous reasons to postpone the direct presidential
\nelection by saying that the people were not ready for it while
\nthe security condition in some regions would not be conducive,\"
\nhe said, adding that according to Chapter Three, the MPR had the
\nauthority to review the Constitution.<\/p>\n
The idea of a direct presidential election has raised fears of
\nthe past regime of former president Soeharto, the military and
\nthe current administration.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bill-shuts-out-alternative-presidential-candidates-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}