No special ruling is required on vice president's role: Muladi

SEMARANG (JP): Political scientists protracted the debate over an increased role for the vice president, arguing yesterday whether or not such a role should be arranged through a legislative ruling.

Noted political scientist Muladi said there was no need for such a ruling since it would be the president who mostly determines the extent of the vice president's responsibilities.

"So far it's been the president who determines the duty and function of the vice president," said Muladi, who is also a member of the National Commission on Human Rights.

"I think it's quite normal for the president to determine the vice president's duties ... that's why it's called presidential duties," he told The Jakarta Post. "So it's up to the president to decide what the task of the vice president is."

The deputy governor of the National Resilience Institute, Juwono Sudarsono, said on Sunday that the next vice president's role should be expanded to assist aging President Soeharto.

Many observers believe that Soeharto, now 76, will be reelected again for a seventh five-year term as president next year.

Muladi argued that the vice president should be someone who is generally ready to be the number-two man and prepared to help the president.

"Thus there's really no need to debate if there should be an expanded role for the vice president," he said.

University of Diponegoro lecturer Soehardjo supported Muladi's argument and pointed to the contingent relationship between the two offices.

He noted that the vice president is always selected by the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) after it chooses a president.

This implies, he said, that the man selected as vice president must be able to work with the president.

Soehardjo added that in all likelihood the selection of the vice president would probably need the implicit endorsement of the president.

"So there's really no need to regulate this matter ... if there are any more rules it would probably just complicate things further," he said.

Philosophy teacher Gunawan Setiardja had a different view than his fellow academics saying that an MPR decree on the matter was necessary.

He said by having such a decree, MPR would be more selective in their choice since it was clear that the vice president would have more responsibility.

Gunawan, however, agreed that the ultimate skill of a vice president should be his ability to work together with the president.

This way the vice president would know how to treat the president, he said. (har/mds)