PDI Perjuangan opposes direct presidential election

PDI Perjuangan opposes direct presidential election

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
Perjuangan) said on Tuesday that it would fight any move to
replace the indirect presidential election mechanism even though
the system cost it the presidency last year.

Secretary-general Sutjipto said the party would use its power
to block the plan by other parties to amend Article 8 on the
presidential election in the 1945 Constitution.

In spite of winning the general election with over a third of
the votes in June, PDI Perjuangan chairwoman Megawati
Soekarnoputri failed to secure the presidency in October because
she was beaten by the system.

The other parties coalesced to push the election of
Abdurrahman Wahid, whose party, the National Awakening Party
(PKB), came fourth in the June election. Megawati settled with
the vice presidency.

Now with its sights trained on the 2004 presidential election,
the party reelected Megawati as chairwoman in a congress last
month. However, party leaders are divided on whether to endorse
the plan for a direct presidential election or not.

"Megawati has never explicitly proposed a direct presidential
election," Sutjipto said after a maiden meeting of the PDI
Perjuangan new central executive board at party headquarters in
Lenteng Agung, South Jakarta.

"PDI Perjuangan will strive to maintain the current political
system as outlined by the Constitution," he said.

President Abdurrahman was widely cheered when he told the PDI
Perjuangan congress that he would push for a direct presidential
election system for 2004 and that he cherished the prospect of
running against Megawati in the election.

The People's Consultative Assembly is scheduled to meet in
August to discuss, among other things, amending the 1945
Constitution, including Article 8 on the presidential election.

Sutjipto said Megawati did not denounce the indirect election
system which cost her the presidency last October, but instead
condemned the lack of morality of the other factions for
depriving her of her claim to the nation's top job.

"During the election, they deployed every means to block her
from winning the presidency," he said.

Sutjipto said adopting the direct election system entailed
changing several articles in the Constitution, including the
function of the People's Consultative Assembly which has elected
Indonesia's past presidents.

The Constitution would also change the way governors and
regents are elected, he said.

"This would pave the way for Indonesia to become a federal
state. PDI Perjuangan is not prepared to take that risk," he
said.

PDI Perjuangan representatives in the Assembly's Ad Hoc
Committee, which is deliberating the constitutional amendments,
have been ordered to try to keep changes to the minimum.

The party will wage an all-out battle to keep the Constitution
as intact as possible, especially with the question of the
unitary state of government, he said.

"For PDI Perjuangan, the unitary state system is final. We
will never compromise ourselves on this," Sutjipto said.

The party nevertheless will be prepared to contest the
election if the majority of the Assembly decides to amend the
Constitution in August, he said.

Sutjipto said the party was confident that Megawati would
clinch the presidency in 2004 no matter what system is used.

"We are ready because Megawati is popular, as proven in the
last elections," he said. (rms)