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.