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.