PKB registers Gus Dur as presidential candidate

PKB registers Gus Dur as presidential candidate

A. Junaidi, Jakarta

Undeterred by a possible rejection due to his health, the
National Awakening Party (PKB) submitted Monday the name of half-
blind cleric Abdurrahman 'Gus Dur' Wahid as its candidate in the
upcoming presidential election.

"While waiting for the Supreme Court's ruling in our judicial
review petition brought before the Supreme Court, we are
registering Gus Dur as our presidential candidate as was agreed
upon during our national meeting," PKB chairman Alwi Shihab told
reporters.

Alwi said that the other registration requirements, including
the name of his party's vice presidential candidate, would be
submitted soon. He was accompanied by PKB executives Muhammad
A.S. Hikam, Arifin Junaidi and Mahfud M.D.

The PKB, set up to accommodate the political interests of the
country's largest Muslim organization, the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU),
agreed during a one-day meeting Sunday to endorse the candidacy
of Gus Dur, who was ostensibly removed from the presidency for
incompetence in July 2001.

After visiting the KPU office, PKB executive members went to
the Supreme Court to urge the court to soon issue a ruling on
KPUs Regulation No. 26/2004 on the presidential election
procedures.

"We are optimistic that the court will rule our way by
declaring the regulation to be repugnant to the Constitution and
the Law No.12/2003 on elections.

The PKB is seeking to overturn a General Elections Commission
(PKB) regulation requiring all presidential and vice presidential
candidates to undergo thorough medical check-ups to determine
whether or not they were physically and psychologically healthy.

The party has filed a petition with the Supreme Court, saying
that the regulation discriminates against handicapped people from
running for the country's top office. The court has yet to hold a
hearing on the petition.

Alwi said that such discrimination was prohibited in modern
countries like the United States.

The Supreme Court has yet to assign the case to a panel of
judges.

"We can't come to a decision now as the chief justice (Bagir
Manan) is still overseas," the court's acting chief justice,
Ahmad Kamil, told reporters.

The Constitutional Court ruled in favor of the KPU last week,
saying that medical examinations were required for presidential
and vice presidential candidates.

Separately, KPU member Anas Urbaningrum said on Monday that
the commission only accepted pairs of presidential and vice
presidential candidates, and not individual candidates.

"We only accept pairs of presidential and presidential
candidates proposed by political parties," Anas told reporters.

He said the registration of presidential candidates would be
officially conducted from May 1 to May 7, after the general
election results had been finalized.

Commenting on the petition brought by the PKB, Anas welcomed
the action, saying that KPU would comply with whatever decision
was reached by the Supreme Court.

"The move to seek a judicial review is correct. The KPU will
comply with the ruling," he said.

The KPU, in close cooperation with the Indonesian Doctors
Association (IDI), has imposed health requirements for
presidential and vice presidential candidates, including eyesight
requirements, which has been viewed by many as an effort to
prevent Gus Dur from standing.