'Bill shuts out alternative presidential candidates'

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Prodemocracy activists, analysts and mass media are certainly not the only ones longing for the emergence of a strong, fair and wise national leader to bring the nation out of its prolonged crisis, uphold justice and build peace.

The general public and those living in conflict-ridden regions equally wish for strong leadership, but their wish is likely not to become a reality anytime soon as the current administration and the political factions at the House of Representatives (DPR) are in a heated debate about how presidential candidates contending the 2004 general election should be limited to as few as possible.

Two main arguments have emerged from the current deliberation of the presidential election bill, sparking criticism from political analysts and prodemocracy activists. The first is whether the legislative election should be held at the same time as the presidential election, while the second is whether presidential candidates should be limited.

The multiparty government preparing the bill has proposed that the legislative election and the presidential election be held separately and that there is a limit put on the number of presidential candidates running in the election. Only political parties winning 20 percent of the seats in the legislature are allowed to nominate presidential candidates.

The Indonesian Democratic Party for Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and the Golkar Party, two major factions in the legislative body, have thrown their weight behind the bill, saying that the two proposals were aimed at maintaining a check-and-balance system as well as the election's efficiency and effectiveness.

The bill, especially those two contentions, has drawn protests from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and political analysts as well as create strong opposition from minority political parties allowed to nominate presidential candidates.

They are questioning what the coalition government and major parties have in mind to win the presidential election and maintain their status quo.

Sjahrir, the chairman of the New Indonesia Party (PIB), and Ryaas Rasyid, the chairman of the National Democratic Party, broke the bill down into sections, accusing the current administration of being unwilling to have new faces emerge to lead the country.

Angry with the possibility of limited presidential candidates, Amien Rais, the chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) and the chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN), a minority faction at the House, has successfully lobbied the United Development Party (PPP) and the Crescent Star Party (PBB) to reject the two chapters, which he said would certainly undermine democracy.

Amien, who is preparing to run in the presidential election, has instructed his party faction to fight for holding both elections at the same time and not limiting the number of presidential candidates.

Chapter Six of the amended 1945 Constitution stipulates that presidential and vice presidential candidates are nominated by political parties or a coalition of parties declared eligible for the general election.

"To generate efficiency, the presidential election (the first round) should be held simultaneously with the legislative election because there will be two rounds in the presidential election," he said.

Aberson Marle Sihaloho, a senior member of PDI Perjuangan, hailed the planned direct presidential election, which he has long fought for.

"With the bill's two contentious chapters, PDI Perjuangan, Golkar and the military are strongly trying to intervene, if not take over, the people's right to elect their own president through a direct election, which looks inevitable for 2004," he said.

He said the coalition administration and major parties were implementing two scenarios to maintain the status quo.

"First, major parties (PDI Perjuangan and Golkar) want to limit presidential candidates so that only two parties plus several minority ones would be allowed to nominate candidates. That way, the people can only elect a president from the candidates proposed by the major faction. The two parties are eying widely accepted figures from the Muhammadiyah and the Nadhlatul Ulama (NU), two large Muslim organizations, to win the hearts of people.

"Second, a ruling that the presidential election be held two or three months after the legislative election would give the next MPR numerous reasons to postpone the direct presidential election by saying that the people were not ready for it while the security condition in some regions would not be conducive," he said, adding that according to Chapter Three, the MPR had the authority to review the Constitution.

The idea of a direct presidential election has raised fears of the past regime of former president Soeharto, the military and the current administration.