Watch Habibie's moves

Golkar has finally taken the plunge and named the incumbent B.J. Habibie as the party's sole presidential candidate before the general election campaign starts next week. The ruling party overcame its own apprehensions that, given Habibie's lack of popularity, naming him as the only candidate could undermine, rather than bolster, its electoral chances.

The decision came amid accusations made by some of Golkar's own leaders that the Habibie camp had maneuvered -- including by buying regional chapters' votes -- to force the party leadership to settle the issue this week rather than leave it until after the June elections as was previously agreed.

Underhanded tactics and vote-buying are certainly crafts that Golkar has mastered. That is how they won six successive general elections in the past. That such practices continue today even as Golkar professes reform come as no surprise. Old habits die hard. But Golkar and the Habibie camp would be well advised to keep their time-tested tradition to themselves. Times are a-changing, and such mischievous practices, including "money politics", have no place in a democratic Indonesia.

Golkar joins a handful of parties contesting the elections that have named their candidates. The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-Perjuangan) has chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri, the National Mandate Party (PAN) is fielding chairman Amien Rais, and the National Awakening Party (PKB) is expected to name Abdurrahman Wahid, head of Nahdlatul Ulama.

While this upcoming general election is really about winning seats in the House of Representatives, the big parties have rightly included their presidential candidates in their campaign platforms. Naming a candidate can bolster their standing and let voters know of their intentions in the presidential election in November. Although most of the smaller parties are campaigning on platforms aimed at improving the political system, at the end of the day, voters are still concerned about who is going to lead the country and ensure that the system really works.

It is now clear that the general election will not produce an outright winner, and a coalition government is the most likely outcome. Those parties likely to be part of the coalition government owe their supporters, as well as potential voters, an explanation of their plans, including their candidate for president.

As the current President, Habibie has some advantages over other candidates. This is also normal in elections in other countries. But it is wrong to assume that Habibie can abuse his office to increase his election chances the way his predecessor Soeharto did in election after election for the last 32 years.

Long before Golkar's announcement of its presidential candidate on Friday, Habibie's administration had been suffering from legitimacy as well as credibility problems. Since he never even attempted to conceal his ambition to retain the presidency, many of his populist policies appeared to observers as electioneering maneuvers.

The provision of billions of dollars of World Bank funds for the poor, for example, was one policy area where Habibie could easily be accused of buying votes. Recent allegations by the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) that money distributed under the government's social safety net program was made out to have come from Golkar illustrate the disturbing fact that it is still too easy to abuse one's power.

Although it is within Golkar's rights to nominate whoever it wants, Habibie's candidacy has changed the way the public views the President. Already suspicious of Habibie's intentions from the moment he stepped into Soeharto's shoes last May, the public now has an even greater reason to suspect him. People have the right to scrutinize his every move in the coming weeks and to cry foul play if they suspect he is abusing his position to further his reelection campaign.

While it may be improper to ask the President to step down the way the General Election Commission forced Golkar Chairman Akbar Tandjung to resign from the Cabinet, it is reasonable to demand that Habibie restrain his state activities in the coming weeks, at least during the election campaign period, to the bare essentials. The last thing anybody wants is for people to accuse him of anything less than ethical electioneering. If that should happen, he would destroy what little faith people still have for him to lead this country, and that in turn could undermine the general election itself.