LAKSAMANA.Net, April 25, 2004 11:42 PM
Review - Politics: Two-Horse Race?
Laksamana.Net - Two retired four-star generals look set to fight it out for the
presidency on July 5.
"The presidential election will be a neck-and-neck race between two generals and
they must prepare themselves," recently resigned welfare minister Jusuf Kalla,
running mate of former top security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, said
Wednesday (21/4/04).
Though Amien Rais of the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the struggling
incumbent, Megawati Sukarnoputri of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
(PDI-P), are also in the race, Yudhoyono seems certain to face off against former
military chief Wiranto, following the latter's resounding victory over party leader Akbar
Tanjung in the marathon Golkar convention on Tuesday (20/4/04).
Leaders of other political parties, including Amien Rais, Alwi Shihab of the National
Awakening Party (PKB), and Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno of PDI-P, attended the opening
session of the Golkar convention. Large sums of money reportedly circulated among
the delegates in the run up to the event and on the night of the vote itself.
The winning candidate needed a minimum of 271 of the 542 votes cast. Wiranto won
by 315 votes to Tanjung's 227 in a second round of voting. Four votes were ruled
invalid and one delegate abstained.
The 57% share of votes for Wiranto came from the party's regency and township
levels but Tanjung won the votes of the executive boards and most of the
provincial-level leaders.
"We have a huge task in front of us," Wiranto told the crowd after his victory. "The
people need a strong leader who understands the needs of the people. We need
someone who not only can win the convention but also beat candidates from other
parties."
Wiranto said Golkar would pick a figure with a similar platform who enjoyed wide
support, and he would consult with Golkar's Central Executive Board (DPP) to
determine his running mate.
"We will try to find someone who can work in harmony with our presidential candidate,
but everything has to be settled first in executive board meetings," Tanjung said
Friday (23/4/04).
No Backing from Military
According to Military (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto there will be no support from
the military for the erstwhile commander in chief.
Sutarto reiterated Thursday (22/4/04) that the TNI would remain neutral in the
elections.
"If senior military officers run for the presidential election, we accept it as a call from
the country. But neither the institution nor individuals inside the military will make any
political moves to support them," Sutarto stated.
International Reaction Mixed
The decision by Golkar to nominate Wiranto as its presidential candidate could lead
to international relations problems for the country, East Timor's Foreign Minister Jose
Ramos Horta warned Wednesday (21/4/04).
Horta said in Melbourne that if Wiranto were to win the presidency, Indonesia may
face difficulties working with Australia, the United States and Europe and would be "in
an awkward situation to say the least".
On February 24, 2003, Wiranto was indicted in East Timor for crimes against
humanity before the Dili Special Panel, a joint UN-East Timorese court.
The indictment alleges that as military chief, Wiranto didn't stop soldiers and their
proxy militias from killing nearly 1,500 people during the UN-sponsored independence
referendum in 1999.
Soon after, the US State Department placed Wiranto on its visa watch list. Last
month, prosecutors in East Timor issued an extensive brief summarizing their
evidence against him.
Wiranto, 57,has denied the charges and said they were part of a smear campaign to
sidetrack his candidacy.
John M. Miller, spokesman for the East Timor Action Network (ETAN) was quoted as
saying the people of Indonesia and East Timor deserved better and "Wiranto must
stand trial not stand for office".
ETAN, in a statement Wednesday (21/4/04), urged the UN to revisit the
recommendation to establish an international tribunal for East Timor made by the
UN's Commission of Inquiry in January 2000.
In addition it urged the U.S. Congress and Bush administration to withhold all military
assistance for Indonesia until Wiranto and others responsible for crimes against
humanity in East Timor and Indonesia are brought to justice in judicial processes
consistent with international standards.
In response to reporters' questions on what the U.S. reaction would be if Wiranto won
the presidential election on July 5 Ralph Boyce, US ambassador in Jakarta, Ralph
Boyce, said Wednesday (21/4/04) "we can work with anybody that comes out of a
free [election] process."
Boyce denied speculation that the US was interfering in the process of selecting who
was most suitable to be Indonesia's next president.
"It's the election process that we care deeply about and it seems to be going very
well."
Boyce added that the US had never blocked Wiranto from going there. "General
Wiranto and anybody else is welcome to apply at any time and it is the application
process that will determine whether someone will be granted a visa or not," he
explained.
Ba'asyir an Indonesian Matter
Police have officially declared militant Abu Bakar Ba'asyir a criminal suspect and said
they have enough evidence to charge him with terror crimes, including the October 12,
2002 bombings in Bali. Ba'asyir has repeatedly denied any links to terrorism, saying
Washington is seeking to punish him for criticizing America's treatment of Muslims in
the Middle East and its support for Israel.
"We have long believed there is extensive evidence of Abu Bakar Ba'asyir's leadership
role and personal involvement in terror activities," US Embassy spokesman Stan
Harsha said Monday (19/4/04) but his ambassador, Ralph Boyce, refuted allegations
that he had intervened in Indonesia's legal affairs in the case.
"Our position on Ba'asyir is clear, I don't see there is an intervention, we are not
demanding or prescribing a particular outcome to the government of Indonesia. It is an
Indonesian matter," Boyce told reporters during a briefing at the embassy. "We are
confident that the Indonesian authorities can handle this in an appropriate way," he
said.
In an article in Tuesday's pro-Islamic Republika, Ba'asyir accused the US of trying to
frame him, especially for the Bali bombings.
"In reality, I, along with Muslim clerics and the public in Solo (Ba'asyir's home base in
Central Java), am among several people who disagreed with the Bali bombings," the
65-year-old cleric said.
Syafii Maarif, the leader of Muhammadiyah, one of the country's two largest Muslim
organizations, wrote in a column last week in Republika, that the real purpose of a
visit by Boyce last month to Muhammadiyah was to discuss Ba’asyir.
Boyce said the US respects Indonesia's legal system and his country couldn’t
influence the legal proceedings here. He said his actions did not constitute an
intervention in Indonesia's legal system, but the US can comment on the outcome of
Ba'asyir's case as Indonesia frequently expresses its stance on developments in
other countries.
"It is a normal thing in diplomacy to give an opinion or comment on a particular
incident like Ba'asyir's case," the ambassador said.
Unfair and Unjust
Ba'asyir also held talks with Din Syamsuddin, the secretary general of the main
Islamic authority, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), an influential organization of
the country's Muslim clerics.
The MUI "extends its sympathy" to Ba'asyir after police reopened an investigation into
him, said Syamsuddin Tuesday. Efforts to keep Ba'asyir in jail as a terrorism suspect
are "an act of injustice," he said.
Syamsuddin said the US refusal to allow Indonesian police direct access to question
terror suspect Hambali, thus necessitating questioning of Ba'asyir by using US
transcripts of Hambali's interrogation, was "mind-boggling".
"It is unfair if he is arrested just because of information from the United States," said
Amidhan, chairman of the MUI.
"If that happens, it is not merely unjust but also inhuman because Ba'asyir is an old
man."
Ba'asyir promised on Thursday to cooperate with any police investigation into his
alleged terror links as long as he was freed during the inquiry.
"I am ready to be named as a new suspect, I will be cooperative but with the condition
of no detention," he told reporters from his prison cell.
"If I am detained, I will refuse to be questioned by police because my detention will
only please America because they intend to make an enemy of Islam."
Ba'asyir said the United States and Australia were using him "as a sacrificial lamb"
for their failure to arrest Osama bin Laden.
"Bush is unable to capture Osama bin Laden and he is using me as his (financial)
capital," the cleric said.
Police will start questioning Ba'asyir on Monday (26/4/04) said Brig. Gen. Pranowo,
director of the National Police Antiterrorism and Bomb Division on Friday (23/4/04).
Tough Task for Next Leader
The next president and vice president should sign a written pledge to combat
corruption, the Commission for the Eradication of Corruption proposed on Thursday.
Erry Riyana Harjapamekas, a member of the commission, said it had proposed that
future leaders including the president and deputy should make the written
commitment. "Even though it is not legally strong, at least it would be morally strong,"
Harjapamekas told reporters.
Harjapamekas said commission members also "want a clear commitment from the
presidential and vice presidential candidates on the issue of eradicating corruption"
and the political contract would pledge to punish any bureaucrats, friends or party
colleagues found to have engaged in corruption.
The move followed a comment made by Megawati earlier in the week. "Our brows
wrinkled when an overseas rating agency placed us -- with a basis and method which
maybe we don't fully understand -- as the second or third most corrupt in the world,"
the president said.
Clerics back Wahid
Thirty influential Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) clerics on Wednesday (21/4/04) affirmed their
support for Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid's presidential bid and agreed he could
choose an alternative should his health bar him from running.
However, NU Chairman Hasyim Muzadi, who did not attend the meeting in Lombok in
West Nusa Tenggara, criticized the move by the clerics, saying they had no authority
to endorse anyone on behalf of NU and such a move could spark polarization among
the other NU ulemas.
The National Awakening Party (PKB), the party NU helped found in 1998, has also
nominated Gus Dur as its presidential candidate. The party is in third place in the
current tally of votes.
"Any presidential or vice presidential hopeful who comes from the NU should be
considered as individuals and they cannot claim to represent NU or exploit NU
symbols because this organization does not belong to certain individuals," NU
Chairman Hasyim Muzadi told a press conference.
PKB has been offered the vice presidency, three coordinating minister posts and two
ministerial posts to support another party, deputy leader Mahfud MD said on Friday
(23/4/04).
"The PKB will get these positions if we throw our support behind the other party's
presidential candidate. It is up to us whether to accept the offer or not," Mahfud said.
"We, however, are still putting forward PKB patron Abdurrahman Wahid as our own
presidential candidate," he added.
Only hours later Wahid's hopes of a comeback were dashed when the Constitutional
Court rejected his challenge to a rule requiring candidates to be in good health. His
lawyers filed for a judicial review with the Supreme Court.
"The crux of the case rested on whether the 2003 election law requiring presidential
candidates to be physically and mentally able to carry out their duties conflicts with
the constitution," said Ahmad Fadil, clerk of the Constitutional Court.
"But after considering all sides, the Constitutional Court concluded that the law is not
in conflict with the constitution. That's the essence of it," Fadil said
KPU Deadline Looks Impossible
The General Elections Commission (KPU) seems certain to fail to meet its April 30
deadline to announce the official results of the legislative election.
Repeat elections needed to be held in 499 polling stations nationwide because of
electoral law violations and other irregularities, the Election Supervisory Committee
(Panwaslu) said Monday (19/4/04).
Nineteen political parties led by former president Abdurrahman Wahid had sought a
ballot recount after dropping earlier demands for a nationwide repeat of elections.
Golkar leader and House Speaker Akbar Tanjung in his speech marking the opening
of the House session on Monday said flaws in the voter registration system had
caused a great number of eligible voters to lose their constitutional rights.
"We deplore the fact many eligible voters were denied from voting in the legislative
election due to the poor performance of workers employed by the Central Statistics
Agency," he said.
The provinces worst affected were Papua, needing 201 new elections; followed by
East Java, with 68 polling stations; and Maluku and North Maluku with 31 polling
stations each.
Only Aceh, Bengkulu, Lampung, West Java, Bali and Central Kalimantan provinces
recorded no violations.
Over 147 million people registered for the election but the number of people who
actually voted remains unknown.
Didik said besides recommending new elections, Panwaslu had also ordered vote
recounts at 1,855 polling stations, including 673 in East Java and 332 in Riau.
Another Panwaslu member, Rozy Munir, said while the number of polling stations that
had to hold new elections was small; the problem could cause further disruptions to
the election process. "The level of problems in some of those polling stations is
serious," he said.
Panwaslu chairman Komaruddin Hidayat encouraged political parties to submit
evidence of violations at polling stations. He also called on the KPU and law
enforcement agencies to punish those who committed violations during the election.
Marriott Suspect Awaits Fate
Prosecutors sought a 10-year prison term Tuesday (20/4/04) for a man accused of
storing some of the explosives used in the deadly bombing of the J.W. Marriott Hotel
(MAR) in Jakarta last year.
Prosecutor Andi Herman told the South Jakarta District Court that Mohammad Rais
violated anti-terror laws by committing acts that caused the loss of lives. The August
15 attack killed 12 people.
According to prosecutors, Rais also ordered other suspects to store 20 kilograms of
potassium chlorate that was used in the Marriott bombings.
Rais bowed his head as the sentence demand was read. Rais is among 15 already
charged in connection with the Marriott attack that has been blamed on the al
Qaeda-linked terror group Jemaah Islamiyah.
The first to face trial, Sardono Siliwangi, was convicted in February and jailed for 10
years for storing explosives.
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