Fri, 02 Jul 2004

Round 2 live dialog excerpts

1. On fight against corruption:

-- Wiranto: Focus not only on corruption involving top officials and business heavyweights, but also at a lower level, which is also rampant. Prevent corruption, adopt stiffer punishment and monitoring system.

-- Hamzah: Send all big corruptors to jail during the first 100 days of tenure, and amend corruption laws to enable a reversal in burden of proof, requiring alleged corruptors to prove their assets are not from graft.

-- Susilo: Review the judiciary and law enforcers during their first 100 days of tenure, before taking stern measure against corruptors.

2. On unemployment:

-- Wiranto: Prioritize job creation, rather than workers' welfare.

-- Hamzah: Launch massive infrastructure projects to absorb as much of the workforce as possible, empower small- and medium- scale enterprises and private sector alike.

-- Susilo: Improve workers' welfare and create jobs at the same time.

3. On investment/economy:

-- Wiranto: The priority is to provide investors and business players with legal certainties, apart from security. Try to boost tourism sector.

-- Hamzah: Increase value of local products, improve legal and security conditions.

-- Susilo: Increase oil and mining exploration, boost agriculture sector, improve and create new tourism destinations.

4. On culture/sports:

-- Wiranto: Prevent negative impacts of globalization, such as pornography and aspects of Western culture that contradicts local norms.

-- Hamzah: Restore the now-defunct state minister of sports and youth affairs office and set up a new ministry that specifically deals with culture.

-- Susilo: Try to empower local cultures in order to create a more civilized society.