President, VP seek full campaign schedule
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Despite the rigid campaign ruling issued by the General Election Commission (KPU), President Megawati Soekarnoputri and Vice President Hamzah Haz will be allowed to campaign for their respective parties any day they desire during the 20-day election period starting on March 11.
Of greater concern to some citizens is whether there will be a power vacuum while the President and the Vice President are out in the provinces focused on party issues, and neglecting national issues in Jakarta. This arrangement was decided upon during a limited Cabinet meeting presided over by Megawati at the State Palace here on Friday.
Home Minister Hari Sabarno reiterated after the meeting that Megawati and Hamzah were given the green light to campaign for their parties -- on their own holiday time -- because there is no regulation on vacations for the country's two top officials.
He said the President and the Vice President would have to coordinate their schedules so that one was always in the capital during the campaign season.
"Based on that reasoning, the two top state officials could arrange their own schedule for the legislative election campaign provided that at least one of them is present in the capital each day during the campaign season," he said.
Chapter 37 of KPU Regulation No. 701/2003 stipulates that state officials with political parties, including the President and Vice President are prohibited from using state facilities during the campaign period, required to take unpaid leave and must hand over their party's campaign schedule of events to KPU seven days before they campaign.
State officials in the judiciary, from the central bank, the Supreme Audit Agency, state-owned companies, career government officials and village heads are prohibited from being involved in election campaigns.
Hari said the preparation of a government regulation on election campaigning for state officials with political parties has already been completed and would be officially issued before Megawati left for Iran on Tuesday.
Megawati hopes that she can campaign for her Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) as well as she did in 1999, when PDI-P was the top vote-getter, in order that the party can control as much of the legislature as possible. Hamzah in his capacity as chairman of the United Development Party (PPP) will make use of the campaign season in bid to improve his party's performance in the elections, despite a major split since 1999 led by Zainuddin M.Z. to set up the Reform Star Party. PPP finished in the top three in 1999.
Other state officials from political parties, including ministers, governors, regents and mayors are required to take official leave.
From the Cabinet, 14 ministers will take leave to be campaigners during the campaign season, and possibly two will resign to run as candidates.