Presidential platforms

Presidential platforms

At present, the nation is witnessing a flurry of political
parties, with their presidential hopefuls -- or those who think
they also deserve the seat -- courting running mates for the July
5 direct presidential election, or lobbying other parties or
groups in an effort to strengthen their power base to contest the
election.

As this is the first time the country will experience a direct
presidential election, media coverage on candidates is often no
different to the way the media covers gossip on celebrities. For
sure, the July 5 election will be much more interesting to
observe than the April 5 legislative election.

Gen. (ret) Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has been the candidate
most quick, compared with other nominees, to select his partner.
His choice is Jusuf Kalla, a respected business tycoon from
eastern Indonesia and a former coordinating minister of President
Megawati Soekarnoputri. The general is regarded as Megawati's
strongest contender in the election.

Realizing that she is in dire need of fresh blood to
compensate for her declining popularity, Megawati has managed to
pair up with Hasyim Muzadi, the chairman of the country's largest
Muslim organization, the Nahdlatul Ulama. Meanwhile, the Golkar
Party candidate, Gen. (ret) Wiranto, as of Sunday afternoon was
still seeking his vice presidential nominee. Other candidates
could still appear by May 12, the registration deadline for
candidates.

We are encouraged by the ongoing democratic selection process.
Judging by the largely peaceful and fair legislative election in
April, there are strong grounds to believe that the presidential
election will be democratic and peaceful, too.

However, we are also concerned that the process so far has
focused mainly on the personalities and not their five-year
programs. There is unlikely to be a significant difference
between the legislative and presidential election campaigns in
terms of an absence of debate on substantive issues. During the
legislative election campaign, political parties rarely talked
about their programs: They preferred to entertain audiences with
dangdut rather than dialog.

At that time, many of the parties argued that they would
announce their comprehensive policy package only when their
candidates ran for the presidency. A major political party even
boasted that it had prepared a very detailed program, for both
the short and long term, for its presidential candidate.

With the start of the presidential election campaign only one
month away, we have yet to see any effort by candidates to
communicate with the public or disseminate their vision for the
nation. Will we have to wait until the campaigning period next
month?

The public has a right to know their platforms with regard to
the economy, education, law enforcement, corruption eradication
and poverty alleviation, to mention but a few. People also have
the right to know just how their prospective leader plans to lead
them in the next five years.

We are of the view that public debate between the candidates
is one of the most effective ways for candidates to convey their
vision, while for the public, it has the opportunity to compare
directly one candidate with another. Megawati should decline no
longer to take part in such debates, as she did five years ago.

It would be a grave insult to the intelligence if presidential
candidates again asked potential supporters simply to sing or
dance with them during their campaigns. Without violating the
prevailing rules, such as that on premature campaigning, it is
time now for the nominees to face the public and reveal their
vision and mission. Let voters form a judgment based on their
convictions about candidates' programs, not just their
popularity.

Controversy exists with regard to military candidates, given
fears that the nation's journey toward the achievement of strong
civil society would be endangered should military figures return
to power. However, there is as yet no concrete vision from the
civilian side on how to counter the trend, either. Therefore,
voters cannot be dissuaded from supporting military candidates
without providing them with much more convincing alternatives.

We hope that the nation will not only be able to enjoy a
peaceful and democratic presidential election, but also one that
will provide us with a new leader who has strong vision,
political will and the capability to carry out his or her
programs in order to lead the nation to better times.