SMU graduates may run for president

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

To become president of the world's fourth largest country, it will be sufficient to have graduated from senior high school.

This criteria is much more lenient than that which would be applied in many small firms in Indonesia, which require many of their employees to hold diplomas.

Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno said on Tuesday that the new bill on direct presidential and vice presidential elections stipulated that candidates for the country's top two posts must at least be graduates of senior high school.

The bill also requires that presidential candidates be 40 years old or over, Antara reported on Tuesday.

The bill is apparently aimed at accommodating President Megawati Soekarnoputri in her attempt to win a second presidential term in 2004.

Megawati studied in a number of different universities but never completed her courses. As a result, she does not hold a university diploma.

Hari said the government had yet to decide whether the presidential and legislative elections would be held simultaneously or separately.

The presidential election bill was discussed during a meeting of ministers overseeing political and security affairs held on Tuesday.

The meeting also touched on the bill dealing with the composition of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), the House of Representatives, as well as provincial and regency legislative assemblies.

The meeting, chaired by Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, was attended by Minister of Defense Matori Abdul Djalil, Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirajuda, Indonesian Military chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, and National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar.

Hari expressed the hope that the two bills would be submitted to the House later this year.