Convinced of winning election, PDI-P to draft shadow cabinet
Convinced of winning election, PDI-P to draft shadow cabinet
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Confident of winning the 2004 general election, the ruling
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) is now
planning to establish a shadow cabinet for the 2004 election.
PDI Perjuangan deputy chairman Roy B.B. Janis said on Tuesday
that such a cabinet would support the upcoming president and
minimize the possibility of appointing unsuitable people to the
cabinet.
"The shadow cabinet would support the government and consist
of people from several parties," Roy said after the party's
weekly meeting chaired by chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri, who
is also the president.
Roy did not reveal how many ministers his party wanted to have
in the next administration nor the parties invited to sit in the
cabinet.
"Our party has calculated how many seats we will have in the
shadow cabinet," he said.
PDI Perjuangan won 35 percent of the vote in the 1999 general
election but the party was unable to install Megawati as
president in 1999 until after members of the People's
Consultative Assembly (MPR), the country's highest legislative
body, had impeached former president Abdurrahman Wahid in 2001
for incompetence.
PDI Perjuangan is likely to re-field Megawati as its
torchbearer in the 2004 election.
Roy, however, shied away from mentioning the party's target in
the upcoming general election, but expressed optimism that
Megawati would remain unchallenged in 2004, as the country would
adopt a direct presidential election.
"We will not exclude other parties from the shadow cabinet
list as we expect that whoever wins the coming election will not
exclude other major parties," Roy said.
The idea of a shadow cabinet was first floated by PDI
Perjuangan deputy secretary-general Pramono Anung on Monday.
"Such a move is important to provide a clear picture for the
public on the objectives of the party during the campaign
period," Pramono said.
Such a proposal would also allow the public to express its
objection to candidates before they were officially appointed by
the president-elect, Pramono added.
Many party leaders were disappointed with Megawati's decision
to appoint only a few party members as ministers in her cabinet,
apparently to minimize the party's influence in her
administration.
PDI Perjuangan, has only four members in the current cabinet,
while Vice President Hamzah Haz's United Development Party (PPP),
which won around 14 percent of the vote, has two.