JP/4/ELECTION

JP/4/ELECTION

Susilo sets up lobby team

Tiarma Siboro/Muniggar Sri Saraswati
Jakarta

The Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono-Jusuf Kalla ticket have set up a
special team to ensure the pairing's victory in the second round
of the presidential election in September.

"The team will be led by Susilo himself. It consists of 35
members drawn from the Democratic Party, the Crescent Star Party
(PBB) and the Indonesia Justice and Unity Party (PKPI)," said a
team member, who requested anonymity.

The team is expected to lobby several political parties in a
bid to win their support for the ticket in the runoff, he said.

The team is hoping to gain the support of the Golkar Party,
the National Mandate Party (PAN), the Prosperous Justice Party
(PKS) and some other minor parties.

"There have been some informal talks with representatives of
these parties," he said.

Susilo is currently leading in the provisional tallies for the
July 5 election, garnering 31.6 million, or 33.47 percent, of the
94.4 million votes counted as of 8 p.m. Monday.

Trailing behind him are Megawati with 26.2 percent of the
vote, Gen. (ret) Wiranto on 22.1 percent, Amien Rais on 15
percent, and Hamzah Haz on 3 percent.

Susilo and Megawati have been scrambling for the support of
Golkar, PAN, the United Development Party (PPP), and the PKS.

Meanwhile, Syamsuddin Harris of the Indonesian Institute of
Sciences (LIPI) said on Monday that regardless of the legitimacy
of the president elected in the Sept. 20 runoff election, he or
she would be powerless before the House of Representatives (DPR).

He said that the newly amended Constitution gave too much
power to the legislative branch at the expense of the executive
branch.

"I agree that the direct presidential election provides strong
legitimacy -- from the people -- for the elected president. But
such legitimacy will not be evident in the relationship between
the executive and the legislature, even if the executive appoints
a Cabinet that accommodates the major parties," Syamsuddin told
The Jakarta Post.

Under the newly amended constitution, the appointment of
ambassadors, the chief of the Indonesian Military (TNI), chief of
the National Police and the establishment of ministerial offices
all require the approval of the House.

He said the direct presidential election did not guarantee
that the president would be able to carry out his or her policies
effectively.

Instead, the system would only force the executive to enter
into more political compromises with the legislature as the
latter was invested with vast powers by the amended 1945
Constitution.

In the July 5 presidential election, Susilo has gained an
unassailable lead over Megawati with more than 70 percent of the
votes already counted.

The election results will likely open the way for a Susilo-
Megawati showdown in the runoff election on Sept. 20.

In the April 5 legislative election, the Golkar Party took the
biggest single share of seats in the House of Representatives,
winning 128 out of the 550 seats. The PDI-P finished behind
Golkar with 109 seats, while the United Development Party (PPP)
won 58 seats to finish third.

Susilo's Democratic Party finished fourth with 57 seats,
followed by the PKB with 52 seats.

The disparities between the April 5 and July 5 election
results will force the winning candidate to enter into a
coalition in order to enhance his strength vis-a-vis the
legislature, a political analyst from Airlangga University,
Daniel Sparringa, said.

"If Megawati wins in the runoff, a coalition between the two
largest parties -- the PDI-P and Golkar -- would give her full
power over both the executive and the legislature.

"But if Susilo wins in the Sept. 20 election, the legislature
will be encouraged to play the role of a pure checks-and-balances
mechanism as regards the executive," Daniel told the Post.

"Thus, if Susilo wins the Sept. 20 election, he and his
cabinet will be in a weak position as regards the legislature as
his party does not have a majority of seats in the House. He will
have to accede to the legislators' decisions, especially in
respect of the state budget," Daniel said.