'VP is crown prince for presidency'
'VP is crown prince for presidency'
By Asip Agus Hasani
YOGYAKARTA (JP): The recent call for a broadening of the next
Indonesian vice president's role to ease the workload of
President Soeharto has received various responses. Political
professor Ichlasul Amal of the Gadjah Mada University examines
the issue.
Question: The call for the next vice president's greater role
was linked to the incumbent President Soeharto's advancing age.
What do you think?
Answer: In 1945, when we decided to adopt the presidential
system, it was believed that Mohammad Yamin (one of Indonesia's
prominent founding fathers) was adopting the United States
system. There -- though not exactly a case of being a spare tire
-- the vice presidents' role is not prominent. It's because a
president and vice president are elected as one. They are
considered a unity, an institution. They have to work together.
In Indonesia, that was also the case when Bung Karno and Bung
Hatta were elected as (Indonesia's first) president and vice
president. They were called dwi-tunggal (two but one).
The president and vice president, therefore, are elected as a
package. That's why the vice president's job description is never
clearly stated. It is (understood) based on common sense that a
vice president's job is representing the president either in
state affairs or in simple protocol.
Q: When Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad was abroad, his
deputy Anwar Ibrahim took over the responsibility of the
position...
A: Malaysia applies a different parliamentary system from
Indonesia. In such a system, the prime minister is accountable to
the parliament, which explains why he can be substituted by ad
interim officials.
In Indonesia, a president is a prime minister ex officio. His
or her position cannot be substituted by anybody else, including
the vice president. That's why the vice president's task is fully
decided by the president.
Q: Is there really a need to give Indonesia's next vice president
a greater role?
A: Definitely. In the next period, as Juwono Sudarsono (the
political scientist who recently made the call for greater role
for the next vice president and aired the assumption that
President Soeharto would be reelected to another term) said, the
president is advancing in age.
In addition, we are facing rapid development. The government's
tasks in the future will be more complicated. Juwono and others
have seen that in the future, the position of the president
should be substitutable.
It'd be better, therefore, if the next vice president's task
was clearly delineated... (there should be) a clear division
between the tasks of a president with those of the vice
president.
Q: Is it possible to have this role expanded through the People's
Consultative Assembly's ruling?
A: If (the expansion) is done through an assembly decree, it
might be misinterpreted that the president and vice president
come from different factions. (This misinterpretation) could be
dangerous and may create conflict.
It's better to keep the "one package" concept of a president
and vice president and let the president allocate tasks to the
vice president.
A vice president is, however, sort of a crown prince who has
the chance to become the next president. Just like Reagan and
Bush, and now Clinton and Al Gore. In this case, it's very
important to limit the presidential term. Otherwise, the vice
president position will never be strategic nor promise (an
imminent presidency).
Q: Are you saying that vice presidents can also be seen as
apprentice presidents?
A: That's right. If we wish for a continued presidential
institution, it is the position of vice president that matters.
Continuity does not mean that the position should be held only by
one person, but how that person can finish their entire term.
Q: It seems that a law on presidential institution is needed.
A: That's true, and the most important thing (that should be
regulated) is the limitation of the presidential term. Then,
there should also be regulations on retired presidents. No one
talks about it at the moment.