Direct presidential election possible: Ryaas Rasyid

Direct presidential election possible: Ryaas Rasyid

JAKARTA (JP): A senior government official said on Monday the
government would not object to the direct election of the
president provided it was supported by Constitutional amendments.

"It's possible... but the 1945 Constitution should be
changed," Director General for General Administration and
Regional Autonomy Ryaas Rasyid said.

Megawati Soekarnoputri, who was reelected on Saturday as the
chairwoman of her faction of the Indonesian Democratic Party
(unofficially called PDI Perjuangan), has proposed a proportional
system in the next general election and a direct presidential
election in 1999.

The PDI congress in Bali also nominated Megawati as its
presidential candidate in the general session in May next year.

Under Indonesia's current electoral system, the president is
elected in a general session of the People's Consultative
Assembly (MPR) once every five years.

Meanwhile, Kamanto Sunarto, dean of the School of Social and
Political Sciences at the University of Indonesia, said the
direct presidential election system could be applied without
making any Constitutional amendments.

"The direct system would let the MPR know who people want as
their president. Then, the remaining task of the MPR general
session would be only to adopt the people's choice," he was
quoted as saying in Merdeka daily on Monday.

Yusril Ihza Mahendra, chairman of the new Crescent and Star
Party, has also advocated that the next president should be
directly elected by the people in the general election. (rms)