Physician's link with Golkar raises questions

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta

The inclusion of a noted physician on the campaign team of the Golkar Party has raised suspicions that he might have had a role in disqualifying another key candidate.

Farid Anfasa Moeloek led a team of doctors two weeks ago that concluded that presidential hopeful Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid of the National Awakening Party (PKB) was physically unfit to be president.

Now the General Elections Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) has stated that Farid, who is also chairman of the Indonesia Doctors Association, (IDI) had become a member of Wiranto's campaign team.

Although his inclusion on the team was a political right, the doctors' failure to be transparent when disqualifying Gus Dur would justify his (Gus Dur's) allegations, Panwaslu chairman Komaruddin Hidayat said.

"They have to be transparent about what conditions had foiled Gus Dur's presidential bid, his health problems such as a stroke or his disability," he told The Jakarta Post in a telephone interview Friday.

The health examination criteria for presidential candidates was jointly drawn up by the General Elections Commission (KPU) and the IDI.

Gus Dur has filed a civil lawsuit at the Central Jakarta District Court against the commission, the IDI and the Ministry of Health, seeking a whopping Rp 1 trillion (US$110 million) in damages.

Separately, KPU chairman Nazaruddin Syamsuddin said that there was nothing wrong with Farid's role as a campaigner for Wiranto.

"There is no problem because his name was included after the team of doctors led had completed the medical examination," he argued.

However, during a press conference held at the KPU building, Farid denied that he would campaign for Wiranto.

Farid said his name was put on a roster of campaigners, and he learned about it only after a KPU staff member told him about it.

"As chairman of the IDI who just carried out the medical examination on the candidates, I could not be a campaigner for a certain candidate. There has to be a mistake, maybe my name was wrongly included," he was quoted by detik.com newsportal as saying.

Farid's name appeared along with former Soeharto ministers, including former information minister Harmoko, former housing minister Cosmas Batubara, former minister for industry Hartarto and former Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Feisal Tandjung. Farid was a former minister of health from March 1998 to October 1999 under both Soeharto and Habibie.

Also included on the list were legal expert Ismail Sunny and former finance minister J.B. Sumarlin.