Dual positions

Dual positions

From Rakyat Merdeka

There has been much argument about the dual positions of our
national leaders.

The governor of the National Resilience Institute, Ermaya
Suryadinata, has suggested that government officials who also
hold positions on the executive board of a political party should
appoint other people to carry out their party jobs so that they
can concentrate on their governmental duties.

Responding to this, President Megawati Soekarnoputri said she
needed the support of her political party to be able to run the
government well and lift the country out of the present crisis.
This is her justification for continuing to hold the chairmanship
of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan).

In this context, it must be remembered that a president needs
not only the support of his or her political party, but of the
entire country. This is more suitable to the spirit of democracy,
isn't it? That's why Indonesia's first president, Sukarno,
voluntarily gave up his position as chairman of the Indonesian
Nationalist Party (PNI).

If there is a healthy process of leadership change in a
political party, there will be no dependence on only one person.
It must be noted that unless the charismatic quality of a figure
is institutionalized in the form of organizational charisma, a
party can be easily split.

The main purpose of a political party is to grab power. Power,
however, tends to corrupt. Experts believe that when power is in
your hands, you are inclined to commit corruption. Dual
positions, especially the combination of a position in a
political party and one in the government, may result in fertile
ground for corruption, collusion and nepotism. Following this
logic, the answer is clear as to whether dual functions must be
maintained or scrapped.

SUKIRNO

Depok, West Java