Poor grooming of leaders<\/p>\n
Six pairs of running mates for the July 5 direct presidential
\nelection were registered with the General Elections Commission
\n(KPU) when the deadline expired on Wednesday. This is an
\nencouraging development because the selection process has been
\ntransparent and voters will have a wide choice. Due to the tight
\ncompetition, it is quite likely that a runoff will have to take
\nplace on Sept. 20.<\/p>\n
However, there is still some concern about the limited sources
\nof future leaders available, with most of the candidates coming
\nfrom only three major organizations. Of course, there is no
\nreason to blame these organizations because the process of
\nselecting the candidates was democratic and transparent. However,
\nit is important that Indonesians appreciate this from the outset
\nin order to enable the nation to cultivate a wider range of top-
\nquality leaders for the future.<\/p>\n
For the first time since the country's independence in 1945,
\nvoters will have the final say on who will be their leader. Both
\nSukarno, who ruled the country from 1945 to 1967, and Soeharto,
\nfrom 1967 until his downfall in 1998, acted as strongmen, which
\nmade it very difficult for younger leaders to emerge.<\/p>\n
The latter were denied the opportunity to develop, and the
\nidentification and promotion by political parties of suitable
\nfigures as potential leaders effectively never occurred. Indeed,
\nsuch a process was prevented in order to ensure that the ruler
\nremained in power.<\/p>\n
From May 1998 to the present, this country has been led by
\nthree presidents, but many wonder why the nation is still unable
\nto find top-quality leaders.<\/p>\n
In this context it is interesting to note the background of
\nthe six pairs of presidential and vice presidential candidates:
\nThe Indonesian Military (TNI), the ruling party in the Soeharto
\nera, Golkar, and the country's largest Muslim organization, the
\nNahdlatul Ulama (NU), have yielded most of the candidates.<\/p>\n
The incumbent, President Megawati Soekarnoputri, is the
\nchairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P)
\nand also the daughter of the country's first president, Sukarno.
\nShe chose NU chairman Hasyim Muzadi as her running mate. Gen.
\n(ret) Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono picked senior Golkar leader Yusuf
\nKalla as his partner. Golkar nominated former TNI chief Gen.
\n(ret) Wiranto as its presidential nominee, with Solahuddin Wahid
\nas his counterpart. Solahuddin was a leading figure in NU. It is
\nworth noting that the organization was founded by his
\ngrandfather, Hasyim Asy'ari.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Solahuddin's brother, nearly blind Abdurrahman \"Gus
\nDur\" Wahid, has teamed up with a woman, Golkar politician Marwah
\nDaud Ibrahim. Gus Dur, cofounder of the National Awakening Party
\n(PKB), and who served as the country's president for nearly two
\nyears until July 2001, however, will likely encounter problems in
\nsatisfying the medical criteria established by the KPU.<\/p>\n
Amien Rais, chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN) and
\nformer chairman of the country's second-largest Muslim
\norganization, Muhammadiyah, has chosen former senior Golkar
\nfigure Siswono Yudohusodo to run for the vice presidency.
\nIncumbent vice president, Hamzah Haz, who is also the United
\nDevelopment Party (PPP) chairman, has Gen. (ret) Agum Gumelar as
\nhis running mate.<\/p>\n
In short, two presidential candidates and one vice
\npresidential nominee have a military background. Golkar is
\ncontributing three figures and NU three.<\/p>\n
When Soeharto fell in May 1998, the country was in total
\ndisarray. Civilian leaders like Gus Dur, Amien Rais and Megawati
\nwere expected to lead the nation out of the chaos and move toward
\na strong civil society. However, as most of the reformist leaders
\nhad limited experience of government, it was difficult to expect
\ngood governance skills from them. Their numbers were also very
\nlimited.<\/p>\n
Therefore, only those who were part of the Soeharto regime --
\neither in the bureaucracy, in Golkar, or in the Military -- had
\nthe expertise to govern.<\/p>\n
Golkar and the TNI were regarded as principal agents in the
\ndisasters of the recent past. Only six years later, however,
\npeople are turning to these two organizations because at least
\nfrom their past track record in economic development and
\npolitical stability, people think they can hope for improvement,
\nwhich is more than they can expect from the reformist leaders.<\/p>\n
It is, of course, not our intention to denigrate any of the
\nsix pairings as contenders. At present they are the best
\ncandidates the political parties can be expected to field.
\nHowever, for the sake of the nation's future, all necessary steps
\nmust be taken to ensure that the grooming of future leaders will
\ntake place properly, at all levels of the nation's social and
\npolitical life.<\/p>\n
New leaders of better quality are unlikely to emerge unless
\nthe nation provides the fertile soil needed for the growth and
\nbreeding of our new national leadership.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/poor-grooming-of-leaders-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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