Direct presidential election idea needs time

Direct presidential election idea needs time

SURABAYA (JP): Direct election for president could be
implemented in 2009, but the people must first learn to
comprehend the new system, a scholar says.

Ramlan Surbakti of the Surabaya-based Airlangga University
said that establishing solid institutions to prepare the direct
system would be time consuming.

President Abdurrahman Wahid stated when opening the first
national congress of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
(PDI Perjuangan) in Semarang on Monday that the government would
support direct elections in 2004.

According to Ramlan, the Indonesian people have no experience
in direct election at the presidential level. "The direct
election in 2004 would only bring severe culture shock to the
people. The question is, are the people ready to accept the
defeat of their candidates?"

Even though the people have had experience in direct elections
at village and regency levels, the direct election of a president
would be a great leap which could cause many problems.

He cited that many supporters of the defeated candidates in
the previous elections at the village and regency levels were
enraged and could not accept the defeats.

Ramlan, who is also head of the Center for Autonomy Study at
the State Ministry for Regional Autonomy Office, said that to
ease the process the direct system would begin with the direct
election of people's representatives in the 2004 elections. "In
the 2004 elections the people will learn how to vote for a
president directly."

He also said that the direct system needed a strong and solid
parliament. "Frankly speaking, we (Indonesia) historically and
culturally have never possessed a strong parliament."

In a related development, Rubiyanto Misman, rector of the
Jenderal Soedirman University, shared his opinion on Tuesday that
the people were not yet ready for a presidential direct election.

"However, the President's statement was positive, paving the
way for it to eventually become a reality," Rubiyanto told
reporters in Purwokerto.

"The cult of the individual is still dominant in our political
culture," he said, citing the Indonesian Democratic of Struggle
(PDI Perjuangan) which won the 1999 General Election because of
its supporters' emotional ties with a figure and not because of
its democratic principles," he said.

For politically advanced countries like the United States,
direct election for the president would be okay. "Americans have
no cult of the individual."

"If we force ourselves to apply the direct election system
while the people are not ready, there will be chaos," he said.
(nur/45/sur)