PPP rejects woman president

A working meeting of the United Development Party (PPP) leadership was recently held; one of the decisions made in the meeting was that the party would only support a male Muslim president.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) is strongly tipped to win the 1999 polls. Its presidential candidate is Megawati Soekarnoputri, who is both a woman and a Muslim, despite an allegation made by one of the PPP figures that Megawati is not a Muslim but a Hindu. Certain Muslim quarters have also spread a rumor that PDI Perjuangan is anti-Muslim, because 90 percent of its legislative candidates are non-Muslim. One of the chairpersons of PDI Perjuangan, Dimjati Hartono, has denied this allegation, saying that non-Muslim legislative candidates of PDI Perjuangan make up only 10 percent of the party's legislative candidates.

Has it ever been proved that what PDI Perjuangan has done is anti-Muslim? The prevailing 1945 Constitution only states that the president of the Republic of Indonesia must be an indigenous Indonesian. It does not mention whether the president should be a male, or whether the president should be a Muslim. If certain parties are now against a woman president, this is a great setback in Indonesian democracy, and it is not in line with the 1945 Constitution. The Constitution maintains that women and men enjoy the same rights as citizens of Indonesia.

In my opinion, PPP is obviously conservative and narrow-minded and its sole purpose is blocking Megawati's way to the presidency. Everybody knows that PPP was part of the New Order under Soeharto and that the party has forged links with Golkar. Obviously, this party will support the Golkar Party, who has nominated Habibie as its presidential candidate. PPP only pretends to be reform-minded.

I deem as most correct the statement made by the Crescent Party, which is Islam-based, to the effect that it will accept the result of the 1999 polls and will not bother whether the presidential candidate is a man or a woman, as long as the elections are democratic. This is indeed in line with the provision in the 1945 Constitution.

But, an individual named Tuti Alawiyah of the Golkar Party, has labeled Megawati stupid (because she is not a university graduate), and said she is not a suitable candidate for the presidency. Even if it was true that Megawati is stupid, in my opinion, she could always be helped by her clever vice president and ministers. Therefore I propose that the position of vice president should go to either Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X or Cak Nurcholish Madjid. Both are clever, non-partisan and reform- minded. The people must like them.

SUHARSONO HADIKUSUMO

Jakarta