Mega, Hamzah may campaign without leave

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.