'No figure suitable to be next president'

'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.