Presidential campaigning has impact on government activities<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Monday's Cabinet meeting chaired by President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri was a rare occasion during the campaigning period
\nfor presidential candidates, who include the incumbent and Vice
\nPresident Hamzah Haz.<\/p>\n
Staying in Jakarta on average only twice a week during the
\nmonth-long campaigning period, Megawati last presided over a
\nCabinet meeting on oil and gas prices earlier this month.<\/p>\n
\"We tried to squeeze state affairs into her busy campaign
\nschedule by allocating two days a week for her to stay in the
\ncapital,\" a state secretary official said over the weekend.<\/p>\n
Officials have said it has been difficult, ahead of the July 5
\npresidential election, to present paperwork to the President on
\nseveral planned regulations or decrees.<\/p>\n
\"Although daily paperwork continues as usual to be delivered
\nto the President, some decisions need to be made within the
\nCabinet,\" said the official, requesting anonymity.<\/p>\n
As in the previous campaigning period before the April
\nlegislative election, the government has effectively been
\ndormant, as the President, Vice President and several ministers
\nhave been busy with their party campaigns.<\/p>\n
Megawati has been nominated by the Indonesian Democratic Party
\nof Struggle (PDI-P) and Hamzah by the United Development Party
\n(PPP).<\/p>\n
In the current campaigning period, which ends on July 1,
\nofficials from different parties have also been assigned by their
\npolitical parties to support their respective presidential
\ncandidates.<\/p>\n
With an expected runoff in the presidential election in
\nSeptember, a new government is expected only in October.<\/p>\n
The Cabinet has seen the withdrawal of minister of
\ncommunications Agum Gumelar, who became Hamzah's running mate,
\nand before that the resignation of coordinating minister of
\npeople's welfare Jusuf Kalla, who is the running mate of former
\nchief security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhyono.<\/p>\n
As stipulated by government regulation No.19\/2004 on state
\nofficials joining campaigns, the president and vice president
\nhave 15 days of leave for campaigning.<\/p>\n
The other ministers, apart from those who resigned, have three
\ndays of leave to participate in campaigning.<\/p>\n
Many have questioned the effectiveness of the Cabinet, from
\nthe legislative campaign period at the end of March, through the
\ncurrent period to the establishment of the new government in
\nOctober.<\/p>\n
With only a few months to go, \"there is not much that we can
\ndo,\" a high-ranking official said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/presidential-campaigning-has-impact-on-government-activities-1447893297",
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