No minister asks for leave for presidential campaign
No minister asks for leave for presidential campaign
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta
With just one week to go before the campaign period starts none
of the Cabinet ministers, who plan to campaign for presidential
candidates, have officially requested leave.
The State Secretariat was still waiting for the letters on
Tuesday evening, so that the office could schedule the ministers'
days off.
"Just like the legislative election, they will submit their
requests at the last minute," a staff member of the State
Secretariat complained on Tuesday.
According to Regulation No. 9/2004 on proceedings for Cabinet
members and government officials involved in the campaign, the
ministers are allowed two consecutive days off, or three days
interspersed throughout the month-long campaign period.
The ministers are banned from using state facilities while
campaigning.
The State Secretariat is required to report the ministers'
leave dates to the General Elections Commission (KPU).
As of Tuesday, the KPU had registered only three Cabinet
members who will work for Golkar Party's presidential candidate
Gen. (ret) Wiranto and National Mandate Party's hopeful Amien
Rais. Golkar has picked State Minister of Communications and
Information Syamsul Mu'arif and State Minister of Women's
Empowerment Sri Redjeki Soemaryoto as part of its campaign team,
while PAN named State Minister of Research and Technology Hatta
Radjasa.
Three other ministers have quit the Cabinet to contest the
July 5 election.
Communications minister Agum Gumelar was the last to resign
after Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono resigned as the coordinating
minister for political and security affairs and Jusuf Kalla quit
as the coordinating minister for people's welfare.
Agum will partner United Development Party presidential
candidate Hamzah Haz, while Susilo has been nominated as the
Democratic Party's presidential candidate and Kalla, his running
mate.
Similar treatment applies to governors, regents and other
state officials taking part in the election campaign.
During the campaign period for the legislative election from
March 11 to April 1, 14 ministers took leave for party duties.
President Megawati Soekarnoputri and Vice President Hamzah Haz
took turns to leave the capital for party interests without
officially taking leave.