President, VP seek full campaign schedule

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.