Parties differ on election debates

Parties differ on election debates

JAKARTA: The issue of whether presidential candidates in 2004 should be required to take part in public debates has yet to be resolved by legislators deliberating the bill on presidential elections.

All of the factions except for the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) agree that presidential candidates should take part in debates, to explain their programs to the public.

PDI Perjuangan, the largest faction in the House of Representatives, has rejected the proposal. Some observers believe this rejection is due to fears that party leader Megawati Soekarnoputri, who is also the President, would not fare well in the debates.

Megawati, who was ushered into the presidency in 2001, has often failed to communicate her policies to the public.

"The type of campaign (candidates wish to run) should not be determined for them. Each candidate should be given the chance to determine the most effective way for them to campaign," PDI Perjuangan legislator Pataniari Siahaan said on the sidelines of a closed-door meeting here on Monday.

Patrialis Akbar of the Reform faction and Amin Said Husni of the National Awakening Party (PKB) faction emphasized that the debates would help the public determine the capabilities of the presidential candidates. --JP