People told to elect better leaders in 2004 election
People told to elect better leaders in 2004 election
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Deviating from routine complaints about the country's poor
leaders, experts urged the nation to select better leaders as
will be made possible through the first ever direct presidential
election in 2004.
Political analyst Mulyana W. Kusumah said it was high time for
Indonesians to become critical voters and choose only leaders of
quality and virtue.
"Many voters are already critical and do not base their
political choices on ethnic or community ties," Mulyana said over
the weekend.
A direct presidential election, he said, should be able to
filter out leaders who do not live up to the people's
expectations.
Would-be leaders should undergo a rigid selection process from
the political parties that nominate them before they face public
scrutiny, said General Election Commission (KPU) secretary-
general Mulyana.
The 2004 General Election is expected to let voters choose
their president and vice president directly, to replace the old
practice which mandated an election by the People's Consultative
Assembly (MPR).
Under the present electoral system, political parties that win
a House of Representatives (DPR) seat in the general election may
nominate a presidential candidate.
Last year, the MPR installed the unlikely partnership of
President Megawati Soekarnoputri of the nationalist Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-Perjuangan) and the Muslim-
based United Development Party's (PPP) Vice President Hamzah Haz,
who in 1999 opposed the idea of having a female president.
After nearly a year, both leaders have come under fire for
their leadership styles.
Analysts questioned Megawati's persistent reluctance to speak
to the public and media -- a sign they say shows her ineptness in
dealing with the public.
Hamzah has been criticized for mixing his presidential post
with his PPP's chairmanship. Political opponents have accused him
of making overtures to Islamic hard-liners to win their support
early on for the 2004 General Election.
Last week noted Muslim scholar Nurcholish Madjid warned that
Indonesia's leaders were edging toward moral bankruptcy.
According to him, lousy work ethics and corruption are the
norm among Indonesian leaders, and that has to change.
Mulyana said through direct presidential elections, candidates
must show the public a clean and credible track record.
"The criteria should list candidates' background, what
positions they once held and how they performed."
To ensure that candidates were acceptable, he said, the KPU
could announce the names ahead of the election race to test the
public's response.
This way, he said, the public could eliminate questionable
candidates providing they had substantiated charges.
Another advantage of having a direct presidential elections is
that it strengthened leaders' legitimacy while promoting greater
public participation in politics.
"The elected president can expect to enjoy broader political
support from the people, which will make the government also more
stable," he said.
Rector of the Jakarta-based Islamic University, Azyumardi Azra
said that candidates should also have their visions and plans
tested before the public.
"Next to testing their credibility we also need to review
their plan for the nation," he said.
He was also convinced that Indonesian voters were mature
enough to distinguish candidates by their quality and not their
political affiliation.
"If anything, it's the political elite who aren't ready." he
said.
He further suggested the direct election process be extended
to the election of legislators.
"We don't want obscure individuals representing us," he said.