Saefuddin challenges rivals to open debate

JAKARTA (JP): State Minister of Food and Horticulture A.M. Saefuddin has challenged anybody aspiring to become the next president to an open debate, Antara said.

Saefuddin, who is a senior member of the United Development Party (PPP) and said to be the strongest contender to be the next party chairman, said any presidential aspirants should prove their mettle by engaging in a public debate.

"So far, Amien Rais (National Mandate Party (PAN)), Megawati Soekarnoputri (Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI)), and A.M. Saefuddin have named ourselves as presidential candidates," he said. "These candidates should debate state affairs, and economic, legal and other aspects of life," he said.

"Those who balk at this challenge are not good prospective leaders, and do not deserve the position, because that would mean that they are introverts," he said.

"Mega, for example, should back off if she refuses an open debate," he said.

Amien Rais has recently delivered the same invitation to a public debate to Megawati, who has not yet given any public response.

"Any national debate of presidential aspirants should be broadcast live by all television stations, and covered by newspapers and other media, and not only as a one-time deal," he said.

Saefuddin, who expressed his intention to run for the presidency last week, also said there should be more than one candidate in the next presidential election. "This tradition of having only one candidate is really boring," he said. "We should have three to five candidates."

He said he named himself a presidential candidate because he wanted to facilitate democratization. "I am serious in preparing myself for that position," he said. "I already have programs, and I have delineated them in my book, A.M. Saefuddin Terpanggil (A.M. Saefuddin's Calling)."

"Being a PPP leader or a president, that's no big deal. So I'm ready," he said last week when stating his intention to run for the country's highest office.

He said he would fight for democratization, respect for human rights, economic development that was in favor of the common people, the repositioning of the Armed Forces in society and the restoration of people's dignity.

During the New Order regime under former president Soeharto, the Moslem-based PPP was often treated unfavorably by the administration to ensure it did not grow too big and supplant the government-backed Golkar.

In 1997 the general election, PPP won 25 million votes or 22.66 percent, a distant second behind Golkar which got 74.27 percent of the vote. The Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) trailed badly with only 3.07 percent of the vote.

In the next polls planned for next year, more parties will participate, but PPP leaders believe their party will still win at least 20 percent of the vote.

"We're not afraid of the emergence of new parties in this reform era, because we have fanatical supporters and cadres,' said deputy secretary-general M.H. Abduh Paddare in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, on Saturday.

"We are not concerned about party members who jump ship and joined other parties," he said. "That's entirely their right."

Political observer Nur A. Fadhil Lubis from the State Institute for Islamic Studies in Medan, North Sumatra, said the competition in the next general election would be extremely stiff because of the many parties intending to contest it.

"Even if the next poll proceeds in an honest, fair, direct, and confidential manner, no party will be able to obtain the dominant position the way Golkar did in previous general elections," Lubis was quoted by Antara as saying.

Lubis believed the poll would see the emergence of five main parties: PAN, the Nahdlatul Ulama-affiliated National Awakening Party (PKB), the PDI faction under Megawati, the bureaucracy- backed Golkar, and the Crescent and Star Party (PBB) led by law professor Yusril Ihza Mahendra.

Lubis said one of the reasons why those parties would obtain the most votes was because Indonesian culture was still by nature patrimonial which stressed the importance of public figures.

"Golkar still has the best resources by far," Lubis said. (swe)