Leadership crisis to last until after 2004: Analysts<\/p>\n
Muhammad Nafik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Indonesia's prospects of securing a better future remain gloomy
\namid the prolonged leadership crisis despite the first-ever
\ndirect presidential election in 2004, political analysts say.<\/p>\n
They doubted the election would bring about a new national
\nleader desired by most people as the selection of candidates was
\nstill determined by the untrustworthy political parties.<\/p>\n
The next president would likely come from within the current
\ncircle of political elites, they said.<\/p>\n
\"Like or not it is the political reality. Our prevailing
\nsystem opens greater chances for the power holders to stay and
\ngives others less opportunity to replace them,\" Azyumardi Azra,
\nrector of Jakarta's Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University
\n(UIN), told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Political analyst Bachtiar Effendi and noted sociologist Imam
\nPrasodjo concurred, saying the nation would continue to suffer
\nfrom the serious leadership crisis beyond the elections unless
\npolitical parties agreed to allow independent candidates to run
\nfor office.<\/p>\n
Two recent surveys -- one conducted by the Center for
\nPolitical Studies (CPS) and another by the Institute for Social
\nand Economic Research, Education and Information (LP3ES) --
\nshowed that Indonesians could not identify a figure eligible to
\nlead the country after the 2004 elections.<\/p>\n
The surveys also said that most Indonesians consider President
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri, Vice President Hamzah Haz, People's
\nConsultative Assembly chairman Amien Rais and House of
\nRepresentatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung as being unfit to retain
\npower.<\/p>\n
Imam Prasodjo said the survey confirmed the already gloomy
\nleadership outlook.<\/p>\n
He argued that the \"leadership producing machines\" have been
\nimpeded by the domination of bureaucracy and the disorder of the
\npolitical system, which curbed the likelihood of credible leaders
\nrising to power.<\/p>\n
\"It is impossible that a genuine leader like Sukarno, Hatta or
\nSyahrir (the nation's founding fathers) will appear in the near
\nfuture,\" Imam said here on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Bachtiar said the political elite currently in power would
\nretain their positions and qualified leaders would remain idle.<\/p>\n
Political parties would still have the only say in selecting
\ncandidates for the next presidency as stipulated in the election
\nbill being deliberated by the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
Under the draft law, independent candidates are not allowed to
\nnominate themselves for the presidential race.<\/p>\n
\"Such a mechanism prevents credible and eligible leaders from
\noutside the parties from contesting the presidential elections,\"
\nBachtiar said.<\/p>\n
Nor will the parties voluntarily choose non-partisan figures
\nas their presidential candidates as this could ruin their vested
\npolitical interests, he said.<\/p>\n
\"The political elite will make the selections based on
\npolitical calculations, not on the common interests of resolving
\nthe nation's complicated problems.<\/p>\n
\"It means that we will face prolonged transitional periods due
\nto the absence of skillful leaders on the stage,\" Bachtiar said.<\/p>\n
The analyst said the direct election should ideally produce a
\ncredible and qualified president to rule the crisis-battered
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
However, he stressed that such an ideal was unattainable in
\nthe Indonesian context as the practice of money politics could
\nnot be avoided in the next elections.<\/p>\n
Azyumardi, nevertheless, voiced optimism that the nation would
\nbe able to cope with such rising concerns by intensifying public
\npressure on the political elite to allow credible leaders to take
\nover the next presidency.<\/p>\n
\"In politics nothing is definite. We should not be
\npessimistic,\" Azyumardi said.<\/p>",
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