Thu, 07 Dec 2000

PDI-P to lodge objections to chief justice candidates

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) faction at the House of Representatives is set to lodge a note of objection against Muladi and Bagir Manan whose candidacy for the top post in the Supreme Court is expected to be endorsed in a House plenary session on Thursday.

Heri Achmadi, secretary of the PDI Perjuangan Faction, said his faction has decided to lodge the objection in the plenary session as they considered the two candidates to be unsuitable for the prestigious institution's top position.

"We have no intention of being perfect but we want model or exemplary candidates," he said, adding that the faction's 153 members have been asked to abstain during Thursday's plenary meeting.

The House was initially due to consider endorsing nominations of Muladi and Bagir Manan as chief justice candidates, and Taufik and Abdurrahman Saleh as deputy chief justice candidates on Wednesday, however, the session was suddenly postponed for a day.

No reason was given for the adjournment.

Once two candidates are endorsed it will be up to the President to make the final choice.

Heri maintained that based on the faction's evaluation the two leading candidates were found to be unsuitable for the post.

"We all know that Muladi is part of the former New Order regime and he did not set a good example in his career in education or in government service while Bagir Manan has no aptitude for strong leadership," Heri charged.

He maintained that his faction was not trying to influence other factions to withdraw their support for the two candidates.

"Other factions are free to support or to oppose the candidates," he said.

Meanwhile, House Commission II deputy chairman Ferry Mursyidan Baldan regretted PDI Perjuangan's planned objection because its members had not previously expressed objections during the selection of the candidates.

"They should have expressed their objections when the candidates qualifications were discussed in the commission. But they did not," he replied when asked by journalists.

Ferry, a member of the Golkar Party faction, pointed out that the commission was chaired by Amin Aryoso of PDI Perjuangan which is the dominant party.

"None of the PDI Perjuangan members gave 'a zero' or bad assessment to the two candidates," Ferry added.

Ferry anticipated that the objection of PDI Perjuangan would not seriously impact the nomination process.

"The plenary session should agree with the results of Commission II. If there is a vote, it means that all that's been done (by the commission) is useless," he said.

Ferry suggested that the President should also strongly consider the results of the Commission's findings, tipping Muladi as the best of the two candidates.

"If the President chooses Bagir, we would question why he did it. He should consider our recommendations," he added.

No problem

Meanwhile, Muladi said he had no problem with being elected to the post or not.

Should the President appoint another candidate, the former minister said he would "leave" the judiciary and focus on teaching at a university.

"If President Abdurrahman Wahid does not approve me, I will dedicate myself to being a professor at a university," Muladi, who is still listed as a lecturer at the Semarang-based Diponegoro University, said after speaking at a book launch at the Mulia Hotel.

He declined to say that he would "resign" from his current post as a justice at the Supreme Court.

Muladi said he would leave his nomination up to the election process, which he hoped would be a democratic one. He also said he had no link with the New Order regime as many had said.

"I'm a professional," he said.

Muladi said a regime was like a building.

"Not everyone in the building can fit into the culture of the regime. Let's say Sarwono Kusumaatmaja, Jacob Tobing or Bagir Manan and many others were also once inside the building," he said.

If elected, Muladi said he would use a systematic approach in improving the service, work and image of the Supreme Court.

"If I were just a judge, I don't think I could do anything to improve the system, and if there are problems, I will be affected," he said. (01/rms/jun)