Convention to have code of conduct

Convention to have code of conduct

JAKARTA: Golkar Party deputy chairman Slamet Effendy Yusuf
said on Thursday that his party would draft a code of conduct for
all committee members organizing the party's convention to select
its presidential candidate.

Slamet said the code of conduct would prohibit committee
members from openly favoring any candidates during the
convention.

Golkar is expected to hold a convention in August to select
the party's presidential candidate, the only kind of selection
conducted by political parties in the country. The presidential
election is scheduled for next year.

The convention could enable figures from outside the party to
run for the presidency.

According to the Constitution, a presidential aspirant must be
nominated by a political party or a coalition of parties,
effectively closing the door to independent candidates.

Muslim scholar Nurcholish Madjid is the first nonpartisan
figure to declare his bid for the presidency. Some Golkar
provincial chapters have touted Nurcholish as the party's
presidential candidate.

Slamet asserted that all committee members had to maintain
neutrality. -- JP