Parties told not to rely on charismatic leaders

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"Since major candidates have withdrawn from the race, I feel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)