JP/4/pemilu
JP/4/pemilu
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.
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Factions 20 percent timeline
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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
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Source: Special committee hearing