KPU split on letting ministers campaign

JAKARTA (JP): The 53-member General Elections Commission (KPU) was divided on Monday over whether ministers would be allowed to campaign for their parties in the general election.

KPU chairman Rudini said the commission was still mulling the campaign rules, including the issue of ministers.

"The ruling is still being debated in the (election commission) plenary session," he said, adding the session would resume on Tuesday.

Rudini's opinion on the issue conflicts with that of Harun Alrasid, the commission deputy chairman.

Rudini said the commission possessed the authority to allow or prohibit ministers' involvement, but Harun believed it was the president's decision.

The commission's subcommission D, which deliberated election campaign rules, agreed on Sunday that ministers should be barred from campaigning.

Harun said the commission failed to make a decision on the ministers' issue because there was a minority of members opposed to the subcommission's decision.

He declined to identify the members.

"They argued the campaign ruling for the commission's members should also prevail for ministers," he said.

"And if the election commission's members are allowed to campaign, (they argued) the ministers should receive the same treatment."

The commission, which will serve for five years, decided last week that its members would be permitted to campaign because several argued they could not remain idle for the period of their commission membership while they were party representatives.

Harun contended all ministers should be barred from campaigning except for Minister/State Secretary Akbar Tandjung and State Minister of Investment Hamzah Haz because they are chairmen of political parties. They are respectively chairmen of the Golkar Party and the United Development Party.

Sutradara Ginting, a representative of the Justice and Unity Party, dismissed the minority's objections, saying ministers should not be treated equally with commission members.

"We have had bad experiences with ministers using state facilities for party election campaigns," he said.

Akbar Tandjung emphasized on Monday there was no law prohibiting Cabinet members from campaigning.

Citing his own experience, Akbar disregarded fears ministers could manipulate their power or use state facilities for political interests.

"You can check whether I used state facilities during my campaign activities," Akbar said after meeting with President B.J. Habibie at Merdeka Palace.

Akbar acknowledged it would be necessary for Cabinet members to take leave from their government duties to enable them to concentrate on their political activities.

"The ministers can take their leave during the entire campaign period or just when they are active as election campaigners," he said.

The National Front, a political group including several retired military officers, said ministers should be banned outright from campaigning and it was not a decision for the president.

"Ministers should be barred from campaigning because it would be difficult to treat them as party cadres, government officials or legislative candidates," National Front executive Kemal Idris said in a news release on Tuesday.

Although he said it was the ministers' right to join political parties, it provided a conflict of interest in separating their personal capacity from their ministerial positions.

National Election Committee chairman Jacob Tobing said there would also be a ruling concerning limitations on party functions. Parties vie with other to attract huge numbers of people to public facilities such as sports stadiums and halls for what are euphemistically called "general meetings".

In several areas, most recently Yogyakarta, there have been clashes between supporters of different parties returning from functions.

"If the events are not limited, they're just like campaigning," Jacob said." (rms/prb)