Unknown activist hopes to run for president
Unknown activist hopes to run for president
JAKARTA (JP): A lesser known activist, Berar Fathia, made her mark yesterday in Indonesian politics by formally declaring her intention to run in the 1998 presidential election.
"In awareness of my political rights, I am announcing my willingness to be nominated for the position of president of Republic of Indonesia," Fathia told local and foreign journalists at a press conference in a restaurant in South Jakarta.
She said her move is allowed by the 1945 Constitution. She first announced her wish to be nominated as a presidential candidate of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) in 1992, but failed to secure the party executives' support.
Fathia also said she has the support of the newly established Indonesian National Unity (PNI) party, as well as a number of other non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
She plans to seek the support of the House of Representatives by personally approaching members of its four factions.
In addition, she will also try to meet and seek the support of President Soeharto's eldest daughter Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, a deputy chairperson of the ruling political organization Golkar, and PDI chief Megawati Soekarnoputri, the daughter of former president Sukarno.
"I will also launch campaigns in a number of provinces," she said.
During the early stages of the 1992 general election and the 1993 presidential election, some PDI regional offices vociferously supported a number of potential candidates. Fathia, former Jakarta governor Ali Sadikin and a son of former president Sukarno, Guruh Soekarnoputra, were among those backed.
A group of more than 50 university students from Java and Bali recently said there should be more than one candidate in the 1998 presidential election.
Calling themselves the Democratic Alliance of the People, the students said in a statement that article 6 of the 1945 Constitution implicitly allows more than one candidate in a presidential election.
The 1,000-seat MPR will meet in 1998 to establish the Broad Guidelines of State Policies and to elect a new president.
The press conference was attended by a number of political observers and activists, including H.J.C. Princen, PNI's chairperson Supeni, and a number of NGOs and student activists.
Princen, the chairman of the Institute for Human Rights Protection, said he supported Fathia's move because he knew her capacity and personality very well.
"She is honest and willing to work for the people," Princen said. "She thinks and talks in simple language, which most people will easily understand".
He acknowledged the fact that Fathia was not even a prominent politician, and that she would find it tough to seek wide support from the public and the numerous bodies she mentioned.
"We often say that only crazy people can survive difficulties," Princen said. "Sometimes, we need someone who is insane in order to achieve our political targets". (imn)