Factions reject restrictions on presidential candidacies
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Most factions in the House of Representatives (DPR) rejected on Wednesday a clause in the presidential election bill that states that only political parties that win 20 percent or more seats in the House can contest the presidential elections.
The nine factions, however, differed on whether or not legislative and presidential elections are to be contested at the same time.
The faction's stance was disclosed last night during a hearing between legislators and Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno.
The two biggest factions, PDI Perjuangan and Golkar, did not specifically reveal their objections to the 20 percent threshold clause, only questioning the legal basis for the restrictions.
Apart from discussing the two controversial issues, each faction also floated various opinions, ranging from requirements for presidential candidates to campaign funding limits.
Patrialis Akbar of the Reform faction said that a presidential candidate must be capable, have integrity and be intelligent, which he said could be measured from his or her educational background.
His statement promptly drew opposition from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) whose chairwoman President Megawati Soekarnoputri has no university degree.
Meanwhile, Antonius Rahail of the Indonesian Nationhood Unity (KKI) faction emphasized that the requirements for a presidential candidate must clearly say that corrupters must be banned from contesting the presidency.
"If a corrupter is allowed to join the presidential race, it will be regretful. It is against the objectives of the reforms," Antonius said.
Although he did not mention any names, this proposal was likely targeted at Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung who was convicted of graft.
Meanwhile, some factions including Golkar, the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the Daulatul Ummah Party (PDU), demanded that presidential candidates must join public debate as part of their campaign.
Golkar spokesman Akil Mochtar said that public debate would help the people determine the capabilities of the presidential candidates.
Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno was expected to respond to the opinions of the factions on March 31.
-------------------------------------------------------------- Factions 20 percent timeline -------------------------------------------------------------- PDI Perjuangan question unclear Golkar question separated United Development Party reject simultaneous National Awakening Party reject separated Reform reject simultaneous Military unclear separated Crescent Star Party reject simultaneous Indonesian Nationhood reject simultaneous Daulatul Ummah reject separated --------------------------------------------------------------- Source: Special committee hearing