Presidential candidacy a political lesson

Ousted PDI leader Megawati Soekarnoputri joins Moslem scholar Amien Rais in declaring her readiness to be nominated as president. Riswandha Imawan, a political lecturer at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, discusses the phenomena.

Question: What political impact do you foresee after the two leaders declared their readiness to become president?

Riswandha: Within the formal context, their maneuver will not result in their nomination at the meeting of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).

But in the longer term, their maneuver will have great political impact because it is the best material for political education in the last 30 years, making society aware that any citizen has the right to become president and encouraging the MPR to really use its right to elect a president and vice president. In the past, the MPR merely confirmed and installed candidates who have been elected outside the MPR forum through pledges by social groups as president and vice president.

Q: Aren't citizens aware that anyone has the right to become president, but they know that whenever a prominent figure becomes very popular his or her career will be in jeopardy?

R: That is true. During the last 30 years, the political elite have supported a political system of hegemony, so that whenever a leadership talent emerges, his or her future career is "aborted" by a group of elite politicians who have a vested interest in the political status quo. The political elite are also influenced by a Javanese tradition of power concentration, which is described in a saying that "there must not be twin suns". The emergence of a new power center therefore, will violate the "rule".

That is a shame for the New Order government which, in its early years, was supported by the young generation. There are now many youngsters who have good leadership talents but they are entrapped by the negative aspects of the Javanese culture -- takut (timid), malu (diffident) and sungkan (less than assertive).

Q: You don't think either Megawati or Amien will become formal presidential candidates at Assembly meeting in March?

R: The regulation requiring candidates to be supported by factions of the MPR makes it impossible for them to be nominated. But if they both join forces to unite their respective major streams in society -- Moslem and nationalist groups -- they may win support from the PPP or PDI faction. Their union will also attract youngsters and political figures who are not involved in the formal system, like former minister of home affairs Rudini.

Q: If regulations hinder the MPR from accommodating inspirations rising among the people, doesn't it mean that political reform is needed so that the people's sovereignty can be articulated through the assembly?

R: Misinterpretation of the Constitution has caused the people to lose their sovereignty. The appointment of MPR members has driven various parties to think about the importance of political reform. Besides the loss of the sovereignty, misinterpretation has caused the appointment of MPR members who are still in their early 20s. If such members know little about the problems of the nation, how can they represent the sovereignty of the people?

Q: Then, where can we start political reform?

R: We will have to start political reform by removing all members of authority from top to bottom in their entirety. Replacing them will be very difficult because they have maintained a strong grip on their positions through Javanese-style power concentration for a long time. However, replacing them will bring about a change for the better if MPR members are committed to adjusting the political system with recent developments in society. If the system is not reformed, I fear Indonesia might experience long political turbulence.

Q: Do you mean there is a probability that the current leaders may be replaced by force?

R: Based on political calculation, the probability is there. But the Armed Forces will surely take decisive action by temporarily taking over power while organizing a transfer of leadership. The Armed Forces will not hold the power for a long time because the military usually has difficulties in facing modernization.

Q: What should be done after the leadership succession?

R: Many things. Regulation of the floating political mass, which assumes that rural people know nothing about politics, for example, must be revised. The 1945 Constitution should be reinterpreted to make it possible for the MPR to limit the number of office terms of a president, a job description for the post of vice president should be provided, and more freedom should be obtained in electing a vice president.

The House of Representatives should be empowered by, for example, abolishing the law on the need for an agreement from at least two factions of the DPR before they can table a bill. (riz)