Lawmakers deny PKB's claims of backroom deals<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
At least two lawmakers denied on Friday any backroom deals during
\nthe deliberation of the existing presidential Election Law,
\nclaiming that individual interests have never been taken into
\naccount in discussing and endorsing any law.<\/p>\n
"The deliberation process is not aimed at giving an advantage
\nto certain figures. We arrive at a consensus after taking many
\naspects into consideration," Alihardi Kiaidemak of the United
\nDevelopment Party (PPP) faction told The Jakarta Post here.<\/p>\n
Irsyad Sudiro of The Golkar Party agreed with Alihardi, saying
\nthat requirements for presidential candidates were set up for the
\nsake of national interests alone.<\/p>\n
"We do not make a law to benefit or to hinder certain
\nindividuals. We make laws to build a system," he stated.<\/p>\n
The two House of Representatives legislators were commenting
\non a statement by National Awakening Party (PKB) leader Alwi
\nShihab that a number of backroom deals were reached among party
\nfactions during the deliberation of the presidential election
\nbill.<\/p>\n
According to Alwi, House factions agreed that a candidate
\nwould not be required to hold a university degree so that
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri could become eligible, the word
\n"defendant" dropped to accommodate Golkar leader Akbar Tandjung,
\nthe 15 percent electoral threshold was lowered to 3 percent for
\nAmien Rais, and the capability to read was dropped for
\nAbdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid.<\/p>\n
Megawati, the incumbent President, does not have a university
\ndegree, while Akbar, was sentenced to three years in jail for
\ncorruption before the Supreme Court cleared him in February.<\/p>\n
Amien, on the other hand, is leader of the National Mandate
\nParty (PAN), which garnered only 6.5 percent of the votes in the
\nApril 5 legislative election, while Gus Dur, chief of PKB's board
\nof patrons, has poor eyesight.<\/p>\n
The General Elections Commission (KPU) earlier issued a decree
\nrequiring presidential candidates and their running mates to have
\nat least 50 percent visibility, a requirement seen by PKB and
\nother pro-democracy activists as an attempt to disqualify nearly
\nblind Gus Dur from running in the country's first direct
\npresidential election on July 5.<\/p>\n
Alihardi and Irsyad said the presidential election law was
\nopen to interpretation. "It is not so strange for Alwi to make
\nsuch an interpretation given the fact that Gus Dur is PKB's
\npresidential candidate," said Alihardi.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, supporters of Gus Dur intensified their pressure
\nagainst the KPU in East Java on Friday, prompting security
\nofficers to deploy more police around the KPU offices in the
\nprovince, the stronghold of PKB.<\/p>\n
The commission told PKB earlier that Gus Dur was unfit to run
\ndue to his poor eyesight. The KPU will officially announce the
\neligibility of each candidate on Saturday (today).<\/p>\n
Gus Dur's supporters in Pasuruan, East Java, had threatened to
\noccupy the KPU office there until Gus Dur was cleared to run.<\/p>\n
M. Sodiq, chairman of the regency branch of KPU in Pasuruan,
\nsaid that he had also conveyed the demand of Gus Dur's supporters
\nto the KPU in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
KPU Surabaya member Ulfa said protesters must not try to
\ninterfere with the activities of the commission or they could be
\ncharged with disrupting the election.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, hundreds of Muslim clerics (kyai) and their
\nstudents have staged rallies outside the KPU building in Cirebon,
\nWest Java over the past two days.<\/p>\n
Members of Garda Bangsa, a security wing of PKB, also were
\npresent at the rally to put pressure on the KPU.<\/p>\n
The angry PKB supporters also "sealed off" the KPU building
\nwith huge banners in a show of support for Gus Dur candidacy.<\/p>\n
Nasiruddin Sidiq, principal of the Kali Wadas Muslim boarding
\nschool, said he and his followers would continue to surround the
\nKPU office until the KPU showed good faith about reviewing the
\n"discriminative" regulation.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/lawmakers-deny-pkbs-claims-of-backroom-deals-1447893297",
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