Muslim group sets voting criteria

SEMARANG: The Association of Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals (ICMI) announced on Friday its criteria as a guide for the public in electing the best candidate into office.

ICMI chairman Muslimin Nasution said the candidate should have a high sense of integrity, possessed statesmanship, was a strong leader and a reformist, and had good communication skills.

Speaking on the sidelines of a national meeting here, Muslimin also suggested that whoever won the election should not establish a "Rainbow Cabinet" -- as Megawati's coalition administration is locally dubbed -- as it could force the president to seek a compromise in most issues, which would not be good for the nation. -- JP