PDI-P, PPP support state campaigners
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
In a move that observers fear could perpetuate abuses of power, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and the United Development Party (PPP) have come out in favor of state officials being allowed to take part in preelection campaigns.
The two parties' stance, in opposition to the remaining seven factions on the House of Representatives (DPR) committee deliberating the elections bill on Thursday, resulted in a stalemate on an article that would ban state officials from campaigning for their respective political parties.
PDI Perjuangan and PPP are chaired by President Megawati Soekarnoputri and Vice President Hamzah, respectively.
Legislator Amin Said Husni of the National Awakening Party (PKB) said state officials must be excluded from election campaigns to avoid abuses of power.
"We cannot tolerate state officials who abuse their power and misappropriate state facilities for campaigns," Amin said on the sidelines of the committee meeting.
Article 108 of the elections bill, which was drafted by the home affairs ministry, says state officials are restricted from taking part in preelection campaigning.
These state officials include the president, vice president, Supreme Court justices, leaders of the Supreme Advisory Council, leaders of the State Audit Agency, ministers, the governor and deputy governors of Bank Indonesia, governors, regents, mayors and their deputies, the management of state and regional enterprises, civil servants and village heads.
Parties violating the article would be barred from participating in the remainder of the campaign period by the General Election Commission.
In past elections, it was common for ministers and other state officials to use state facilities during political campaigns.
Amin said exempting state officials from election campaigns would balance the playing field between those parties that are represented in the Cabinet and those that are not.
Rusman Lumban Toruan of PDI Perjuangan, however, said state officials who hold positions in their political parties should be allowed to take part in campaigns.
"There is inconsistency in this article. State officials who lead political parties should be allowed to campaign," Rusman said.
Chozin Chumaidy of PPP also argued that state officials should be allowed to campaign, saying any abuses of power could be curbed by restricting the officials from using state facilities during campaigning.
"They must take regular flights and pay for their own hotels because they would be ordinary citizens," Chozin said.