'No figure suitable to be next president'
Muhammad Nafik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Claims that the nation is facing a serious leadership crisis are supported by a new survey that says Indonesians can see no figure who is suitable to lead the crisis-battered country following the 2004 elections.
The survey, conducted by the Institute for Social and Economic Research, Education and Information (LP3ES), reveals that most Indonesians consider the top four national leaders -- Megawati Soekarnoputri, Hamzah Haz, Amien Rais and Akbar Tandjung -- as being unfit to retain power.
"Most of the people (36 percent) said there is no person suitable to lead the country, while others (34 percent) say they do not know or give no answer," Enceng Sobirin from the LP3ES said when releasing the survey finding's on Wednesday.
The survey involved 1,250 respondents from 10 major cities across Indonesia: Jakarta, Surabaya, Bandung, Medan, Palembang, Denpasar, Banjarmasin, Makassar, Mataram and Jayapura. They were polled through telephone interviews from the capital.
It said only 28 percent of respondents aged over 17 years believed that Megawati, the current President who was once a popular nationalist leader, had a chance of being reelected for a second term in 2004.
The majority of respondents, however, were also opposed to People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) chairman Amien Rais, Vice President Hamzah Haz or House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung becoming president.
Megawati, Amien, Hamzah and Akbar are poised to be strong contenders in the first ever direct presidential election slated for 2004.
Also cited as unfit to become the next presidency were other national figures such as Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra, prominent Muslim scholar Nurcholish Madjid, Yogyakarta Governor Sultan Hamengkubuwono, and two former presidents Abdurrahman Wahid and B.J. Habibie.
Only nine percent of respondents named Susilo as a suitable potential leader, while six percent chose Yusril, who is also the chairman of the Crescent Star Party (PBB), five percent preferred Nurcholish and three percent favored the Sultan.
Abdurrahman and Habibie respectively received backing from only two percent of the respondents.
"The data indicates that Indonesia is suffering from a serious leadership crisis and most people therefore cannot identify, or face difficulties in identifying, a qualified figure to lead the country," the survey said.
It also said that regardless of "technical" problems being addressed by the House, 53 percent of the respondents believed the nation would be able to hold a direct presidential election in 2004.
"However, 44 percent of them still doubt that a direct presidential election will take place in 2004," the survey added.
Nevertheless, most respondents were skeptical that the next presidential election would see the installation of a president who "sincerely heeds the people's interests."
The survey revealed that 83 percent of the respondents wanted candidates to participate in a "public debate" ahead of the direct presidential election to outline their respective visions and programs.
The research also backed the continuing public pressure for Akbar to immediately resign or to be suspended as House speaker after being convicted last month of the misuse of Rp 40 billion (US$4.4 million) in state funds.
"Only six percent still say that Akbar Tandjung should retain the top (legislative) post," it added.