Easier to become a minister than a legislator<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
One thing that people tend to overlook regarding the legislative
\nelection is the fact that it is easier to become a minister than
\na legislator.<\/p>\n
As in many other countries, ministerial appointments in
\nIndonesia are the exclusive privilege of the president-elect.
\nThere is no regulation stipulating the criteria for becoming a
\nminister, but it is an arduous task to become a legislator.<\/p>\n
An aspiring legislative candidate must complete a long list of
\nrequirements from the General Election Commission (KPU) to ensure
\nthey have good health, morality, a certain level of education and
\nlittle or no debt.<\/p>\n
\"Such a tough process disqualified some of our candidates,\"
\nsaid Soetjipto, secretary-general of the Indonesian Democratic
\nParty of Struggle (PDI-P). And they have spend a lot of their own
\nmoney to promote themselves to the public.<\/p>\n
Worst still, there is no guarantee that after that whole
\nrigmarole, that it will pay off by giving them a seat in one of
\nthe legislative assemblies, unless one was nominated by a major
\npolitical party and got one of the top positions on the ballot
\npaper.<\/p>\n
However, for a minister there is not a single standardized
\nprerequisite.<\/p>\n
\"The president has all the authority to choose one,\" former
\nminister of women's empowerment Khofifah Indar Parawansa said.<\/p>\n
The nation could have a new president after the July 5
\nelection results, but with a likely runoff on Sept. 20 a new
\npresident will be inaugurated in October. The current ministers
\nhave served in the Cabinet since August 2001.<\/p>\n
With such a great amount of authority, horse-trading among
\npolitical parties is not uncommon -- especially when there is not
\na clear mandate for one party -- as a means to influence the
\nnewly elected president's Cabinet decisions.<\/p>\n
Khofifah, who was a legislator before she became a minister,
\nsaid the lack of requirements for a minister was often reflected
\nin the sub-par performances by some ministers. She added that the
\nministries with weak ministers were usually run by more mature
\nbureaucrats within the ministry.<\/p>\n
\"We can see for example that we have not had a defense
\nminister for months and still the office is running because of
\nthe staff at the ministry,\" she explained.<\/p>\n
Minister of Defense Matori Abdul Djalil has been mostly bed-
\nridden since suffering a stroke in August and President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri never got around to appointing an interim minister
\nto run things, despite martial law in Aceh.<\/p>\n
Khofifah said that there should be a regulation to at least
\nset a minimum benchmark for a ministerial position.<\/p>\n
Malaysia could serve as a model, she said, where ministers are
\nchosen from experienced figures among the parliament.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/easier-to-become-a-minister-than-a-legislator-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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