Parties told not to rely on charismatic leaders
JAKARTA (JP): While acknowledging further difficult situations in the future, Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri called on political parties on Wednesday not to rely purely on charismatic leaders.
"Charisma isn't enough. In difficult situations, the charisma of a person can decline sharply and it takes a very short time to decline," Megawati said in her address to the closing ceremony of the three-day congress of the Justice and Unity Party (PKP) on Wednesday, held at the Padepokan Silat training center in Taman Mini, East Jakarta.
She said that charismatic leaders were only human, with strengths and weaknesses.
"(Presidents) are humans with weaknesses and usually, during their terms, they have to deal with sharp criticism and personal humiliation by a nation which they have to protect and develop," Megawati said as quoted by Antara.
She said a leader mostly needed the ability to form a good system within his or her own party, and the ability to give their best to the systems they govern.
She advised each political party to behave as if it were a "shadow cabinet" itself, in line with the government.
"The system we adhere to is one in which the chief is the president. So, accordingly, a party chief should behave responsibly, like a presidential candidate," she said.
Party members, she said, should behave as responsibly as ministerial candidates, gubernatorial candidates, or mayor candidates.
"In this manner, should a party get elected as the winning party in the next election, people would already know whom they could expect to become a minister, or the president, and the people would have some idea as to how they are going to be dealt with as a nation."
Earlier in the afternoon, the congress unanimously reelected former Defense Minister Gen. (ret) Edi Sudradjat as party chairman after three major candidates pulled out of the election race.
The election on Wednesday was part of the party's three-day congress which began on Monday at the Padepokan Silat training center in Taman Mini Park, East Jakarta.
"Since major candidates have withdrawn from the race, I feel obligated to lead the party," Edi told the congress.
The candidates who pulled out of the race were the party's secretary-general Hayono Isman, party member Meutia Hatta, and Meutia's husband, party member Sri Edi Swasono.
After the election, Edi told reporters that he would do his best to consolidate the party's organization.
"I'll do my best to get the party's programs working in the nation," he said.
Edi led the run for party chief with 216 votes; followed by Hayono Isman, who got 83 votes; Meutia Hatta with nine votes; while Sri Edi Swasono and former vice president Try Sutrisno got three votes respectively.
"Even though my ambition is to be party chief, I hereby withdraw from the party chief candidacy," Hayono told reporters.
A similar statement was aired by Sri Edi, who also spoke for his wife Meutia, that they were both withdrawing from the candidacy.
Meanwhile, Try did not attend the party election process.
The congress has also recommended that the party should fight for a revision of the Law No. 3/1999 on political parties.
The 1999 Law stipulates that a political party should secure at least 10 seats in the House to be able to contest in the next election.
The PKP currently has four legislators in the 500-member House of Representatives.
The law also suggests that parties who do not meet the requirement must change their name and apply as a new party.
Edi had earlier said his party was currently striving to amend or postpone the application of the law.
He said that it was unfairly applied as most of the parties which contested the 1999 general election were new parties with little preparation.
He said new parties, such as the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the National Mandate Party (PAN), were able to secure a significant number of votes because they had traditional supporters from the two largest Muslim organizations, the Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah respectively. (02/ylt)