'Bill shuts out alternative presidential candidates'

'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.