Elections body to decide ministers' fate on Monday

Elections body to decide ministers' fate on Monday

JAKARTA (JP): The General Elections Commission (KPU) will
decide on Monday whether to allow Cabinet ministers to campaign
for parties contesting the June 7 polls.

Commission chairman Rudini said the ruling would be included
in the code of conduct scheduled to be endorsed in Monday's
plenary meeting. The code of conduct draft is being deliberated
by KPU's subcommission in charge of organization and legislative
affairs.

"In my opinion, all ministers should be barred from
campaigning because of fresh fears of using state facilities
during the campaign season and issuing policies benefiting their
own parties.

"They must be allowed to campaign only after quitting their
jobs as ministers," said the former home affairs minister.

He added most of the commission's 53 members shared his view.

President B.J. Habibie has barred five of 36 ministers in his
Cabinet plus Attorney General Andi Ghalib from campaigning to
prevent any abuse of power in the elections. The five ministers
are Coordinating Minister for Development Supervision and
Administrative Reform Hartarto, Minister of Defense and
Security/Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto, Minister of Home
Affairs Syarwan Hamid and Minister of Justice Muladi.

Campaigning is scheduled from May 18 through June 4.

In the past, Cabinet ministers campaigned for the ruling
Golkar.

The election commission issued an internal ruling on Tuesday
allowing its members to campaign for their parties and nominate
themselves as legislators.

Support for the ban loomed on Friday, particularly from party
leaders.

Justice Party chairman Nur Mahmudi Ismail and his National
Awakening Party (PKB) counterpart, Matori Abdul Djalil, supported
the ban. They argued it would create a fairer general election
for all parties.

"The New Order acknowledged a tradition which allowed
ministers to use their position and state budget in their
campaign for the ruling party," Ismail said.

Matori said that Golkar could no longer enjoy such privileges.

"It is time for them to open their heart for the reality and
let go of the past. No need for the ministers to campaign," he
said at his office in South Jakarta.

Separately, Crescent Star Party chairman Yusril Ihza Mahendra
said the decision should lie with the parties.

"But if the KPU decides that all ministers are banned ... I go
for that. But, the matter must be regulated clearly."

Edi Sudradjat, chairman of the Justice and Unity Party
seconded Rudini, who was his predecessor in the Cabinet.

"Ministers should quit their jobs if they want to join the
political campaign because many government officials, including
ministers, tend to mix up their personal, party and state
interests," he said in a party gathering in the Central Java
capital of Semarang on Friday.

Edi last campaigned for Golkar in the 1997 elections.

Riswandha Imawan, a political expert from Yogyakarta-based
Gadjah Mada University, said the government should rule an
across-the-board ban on ministers' campaigning if it was
committed to a free and fair general election.

"All ministers should be barred from campaigning because they
are policy-makers," he said.

Afan Gaffar, a government representative on the election
commission, all KPU members should also be barred from
campaigning to show consistency on the policy with ministers.
(rms/edt/har/44)