Mega, Hamzah may campaign without leave

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Megawati Soekarnoputri and Vice President Hamzah Haz, who have always promoted an image as law-abiding citizens and have called upon others to follow the rule of law, will face a tough test to live up to their own words this week.

Megawati, in her capacity as chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), and Hamzah, chairman of the United Development Party, are both scheduled to lead their respective parties during the campaign period, which commences today.

The two top-ranking officials plan to be on the campaign trail for 10 days each.

Despite their planned campaign schedules, however, neither have applied for official leave from their state duties, as is regulated by the General Election Law.

State/Cabinet Secretary Bambang Kesowo said on Wednesday that it was impossible for the President to take leave, as such a course would endanger the country.

"Who will be the acting president, should the President take leave of absence," Bambang retorted when asked whether Megawati had requested official leave, and neither confirmed nor denied the question.

Chapter 75, Article 2 of General Election Law No. 12/2003 obliges all state officials, including the president, vice president, ministers and governors to take a leave of absence when campaigning for their respective parties.

Violating the article will result in the party of the violator to be barred from the campaign season.

Bambang said the law could not be implemented due to the absence of further regulations on procedures for the president and vice president must apply to take official leave.

The government has issued Government Regulation No. 19/2004 on campaign arrangements for participating state officials, which states that the "president and vice president could take leave", but were not required to do so.

Pointing to the legal loophole between the regulation and the law, Bambang simply said, "You know who deliberated the law," without further elaboration.

PDI-P officials had said earlier that Megawati would not take official leave, for the possibility of danger to the state if the President was absent from office.

A few other state officials who will be campaigning on behalf of their parties have requested a leave of absence from their government posts, but not all of the 14 ministers who plan to campaign have requested leave.

Election Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) chief Komaruddin Hidayat said the committee could do nothing unless a violation was actually committed.

"We have to wait and see until the campaign period has begun," Komaruddin said, when asked about the president and vice president and their campaigning without official leave.

He did promise, however, that the committee would take measures against any parties that violated the General Election Law.