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.