Parties predict a large number of invalid votes [14 November]
Parties are concerned that there will be a large number of invalid votes in next year’s elections because the Elections Commission, KPU, has failed to provide proper guidance on the way votes can be cast. Problems could arise over a new method of voting which allows voters to tick instead of piercing the emblem of their choice. [full story...]
See also: KPU running short of cash [18 November] [full story...]
Families of missing persons reiterated their demand for an ad hoc court to resolve the mysterious disappearances of activists between 1997 and 1998. A special committee of the DPR has been established to push for a resolution of the case, but there is concern that the committee could be manipulated by political parties seeking to bury opponents linked to the disappearance cases in the build up to next year's elections. Presidential hopefuls Wiranto, Prabowo Subianto, Sutiyoso and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono are all implicated in the case. [full story...] [see also News Digest 2]
PKS considering coalition with PDI-P and Gerindra [16 November]
The Prosperous Justice Party, PKS, is considering the possibility of entering a coalition with other parties in advance of the presidential election next year. The most likely partners are the PDI-P (led by Megawati Sukarnoputri) and Gerindra (led by Prabowo Subianto). [full story...]
Aceh Party seeks protection against intimidation [16 November]
The Aceh Party, a local party in Aceh, has asked for help after party activists were intimidated because of their alleged support for separatism. The party says that it is committed to the unitary state of Indonesia and that members have been forced to quit because of the intimidation. [full story...]
PKS playing with fire with Suharto ad [18 November]
An advert by the PKS promoting Suharto as a hero has led to accusations that the party is trying to curry favour with the family of the former President and that it is playing lip service to reform and corruption eradication. A senior official of the party said the reference to Suharto in the commercial had from the beginning been intended as part of a project to "make peace" with the military. [full story...]
Battle lines drawn between SBY and Megawati [18 November]
A flurry of polls in recent months has sketched a likely showdown between President Susilo Bambang Yudohoyono and Megawati Sukarnoputri in an election likely to echo the themes of 2004's historic vote. The outcome is likely to depend heavily on the economic mood of the nation at a time of global economic downturn. [full story...]
Muhammadiyah Says Stance on Candidates Can Wait [20 November]
Mass-based Islamic organization Muhammadiyah will wait until after next year's legislative election to confirm where its political support lies, even though several of its members have been named as potential presidential candidates. [full story...]
Also: Muhammadiyah chairman supports presidential candidacy of Prabowo [full story...]
For VP Kalla it's a case of whoever wins he loses; Golkar trailing SBY’s Democratic Party [21 November]
Victory or defeat for the Golkar Party in next year's legislative elections could spell certain doom for Vice President and party chairman Jusuf Kalla, analysts say. With recent surveys showing Golkar trailing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party, Kalla's chances of retaining the nation's second-highest post are weakening, as the Democratic Party could seek a partnership with a stronger party. However, should Golkar win the legislative elections, internal demand for an in-house presidential candidate could be irresistible and destroy any hope of a repeat partnership between Yudhoyono and Kalla. Party members will nominate the figure who has the highest ratings in the national polls with Sultan Hamengkubowono X. currently enjoying more popularity than Kalla. [full story...]
ICW finds many irregularities in SBY-Kalla '04 campaign fund [21 November]
Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) has uncovered a number of irregularities in Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Jusuf Kalla's 2004 campaign fund, including donors with no addresses, fictitious company names and benefactors who were known not to have been
able to have afforded their listed donations, but there is no record of donations from controversial welfare minister, Aburizal Bakrie. [full story...]
Also: Auditing election campaign finances do not guarantee transparency [full story...]
UK donates £1 m to promote women's participation in democracy [26 November]
The United Kingdom has signed an agreement to aid Indonesia with £1 million in its effort to promote the political participation of women in next year's general election. [full story...]
Disabled Fight Uphill Battle for Accessible Elections [23 November]
Disabled people face a multitude of obstacles in voting in next year’s elections says an organisation lobbying for better access. WHO statistics estimate that approximately 10 percent of the total population is disabled in some way. [full story...]
KPU said total registered voters are 171,068,667 [25 November]
The total number of voters for the 2009 elections totals 171,068,667 according to the General Elections Commission (KPU). West Papua is the province with the least number of voters with 509,580. [full story...]
Hungry Parties May Take 'Dirty' Cash [24 November]
With the financial crisis set to drain political parties' coffers, it seems contenders in the 2009 elections could happily welcome any donations, no matter who they come from. Political campaign funds could end up coming from businesspeople who absconded abroad with a fortune in state money to evade justice, experts warned. [full story...]
Quota Ensures More Women Candidates in 2009 Polls [24 November]
An activist concerned that democracy has not brought prosperity and justice for the Indonesian people is taking advantage of affirmative action in favour of women to stand as a parliamentary candidate in the forthcoming elections. She is one of a growing number of women who are responding to the new law that requires parties to have 30 percent women candidates.
[full story...]
Election contestants urged to address women's issues [25 November]
The National Women's Commission has called on political parties contesting the 2009 legislative elections to address women's rights issues, citing the high number of discriminative policies and recent incidences of violence against women. [full story...]
SBY No Shoo-In, with Rivals Gaining Strength [26 November]
The fact that no single political party can rely on its own power to win the 2009 presidential election means that all Indonesian political parties are busy, trying to create the most
politically feasible coalition in order to secure victory in the election. [full story...]
Elections Risk Being Logistical Nightmare [29 November]
The Indonesian military is now barred from providing logistical assistance during the elections because it is required to maintain political neutrality. Officials therefore face the daunting task of delivering election materials to all corners of the country with only limited assistance from the military.
[full story...]
Parties predict a large number of invalid votes
SINDO
November 14, 2008
Several political parties have predicted that there will be a large number of invalid votes in next year's election because the Elections Commission, KPU has failed to give a careful explanation about the way
that voters will cast their votes.
A new method has been introduced for 2009. In 2004, voters were required to pierce the emblem of their choice, but in 2009, the method has been changed by allowing voters to tick the emblem. Some have complained further that members of the KPU seem to be giving different explanations about where the tick should be marked which can only cause confusion among the voters.
The chairman of the central board of the PDI-P was concerned about how older voters would understand what to do and said that the KPU should devoted extra-special efforts to explain things in parts of the country that were difficult to access because of the remoteness. For Gerindra, a spokesman said what would happen if voters made a cross instead of a tick, or whether the tick was not complete.
A member of KPU said that they would carry out another trial run somewhere in Jakarta on 29 November.
Top
KPU running short of cash
SINDO
November 18, 2008
The Elections Commission, KPU, has run out of cash for its publicity
work in several provinces. This could threaten the smooth implementation
of the elections as election procedures in 2009 are different from those
used in 2004.
The financial situation varies in several provinces but the problems that have arisen are unavoidable as the budget set for the provincial elections has been set at Rp 100 million. The cash has also been used to publicise the lists of provisional candidates as well as the final lists which has used up a lot of the cash as the lists must be published in the local media. The lack of cash means that the KPU will not be able to publicly explain the technical aspects of the 2009 elections.
The technical arrangements in 2009 are different from those used in 2004
which means that many voters will not be aware of the changes. Endang
Sulastri of the KPU said he hoped that people in the localities would
come up with creative ideas about how to compensate for the limited
information available. This could be by means of using the local media
or religious bulletins to remind people to cast their votes in April 2009.
A spokesman for the South Kalimantan KPU office said that they were
under pressure to economise on how much they spend. This will mean not
publishing the photos of candidates although these are available in
their office. They have also sought the help of local people to sponsor
the publicisation of election news in their local TV. They were also
seeking the help of village heads.
A member of Commission II of Parliament, Agus Purnomo said the the money
which had run out in several provinces was from the 2008 budget.
However, money will soon be available from the 2009 budget, at the
latest soon after 1 January. Meanwhile, people could use their own
organisational channels to publicise the candidates. The parties were
themselves interested in having their candidates better known.
Mass-based organisations such as Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhhamadiyah can
also be expected to help.
Families of missing seek ad hoc body
The Jakarta Post
November 15, 2008
Families of missing persons reiterated their demand for the President and the government to establish an ad hoc court tasked with resolving the mysterious disappearances of activists between 1997 and 1998.
"We are waiting for the government's response because we still do not know the whereabouts and conditions of our missing relatives," a mother of missing victim Rumina said during a public discussion on the disappearances of the victims in Jakarta on Friday.
The discussion, held by the Indonesian Association of Families of the Disappeared (Ikohi), was attended by families of the 13 missing victims, a member of the special committee for missing persons of the House of Representatives and human rights activists.
Ikohi chairman Mugiyanto said the government had made only empty promises about bringing the cases to light.
"The National Commission on Human Rights investigated the cases for 15 months in 2005 and 2006 and uncovered gross human rights violations in the cases. The commission submitted the results to the Attorney General's Office, but it did nothing," he said.
The House then established a special committee on missing persons in 2007 to put pressure on the government to settle the cases, but it then halted its push for the new commission until last month.
"We really appreciate and place our hope in the special committee as it is the only institution showing concern for the cases," Mugiyanto said.
However, he warned there was a possibility the committee would be manipulated by political parties seeking to bury opponents linked to the disappearance cases in the build up to next year's elections.
"The most important thing is that the special committee should not use the victims as a means to benefit their own interests. Instead, they should seek resolutions by recommending the President establish an ad hoc court for human rights violations," he said.
The special committee's representative, Darmayanto, said the committee was preparing an agenda to discuss the case comprehensively.
"We will include related parties in the discussion, including the Indonesian Military, families of the victims and NGOs with an aim to build a recommendation for the President to establish the ad hoc court," he said.
Mugiyanto said that even if there were an ad hoc court, the government should take political action, such as establishing a government-run special commission to discover the whereabouts of the missing victims.
According to data from the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence, about 3,000 people were reported missing under President Soeharto's regime.
Of the number, some disappeared in the bloody wake of the failed coup by the now disbanded communist party in 1965, as well as during the Tanjung Priok rioting in 1984, and in military operations in Aceh and Papua in the 1990s.
Sutomo, father of Pertus Bimo, one of the 13 who disappeared in 1998, said he kept hoping that the government would find his son. (pmf)
PKS considering coalition with PDI-P and Gerindra
SINDO
November 16, 2008
The president of PKS (Partai Keadilan Sejahtera) said that his party is considering the possibility of entering a coalition with other parties in advance of the presidential election next year. He thinks perhaps that the ideal coalition parties willd be the PDI-P (led by Megawati sukarnoputri) and Gerindra (led by Prabowo). We are prepared to enter a coalition with parties who have the same vision as we have, he said.
He thought the ideal coalition might well be between PKS and the PDI-P. Hoever, although they might be able to support the same government leader, the PKS was concerned about the age of the candidate, preferring someone younger. He said the person should be below fifty years of age.
He also said that the PKS had set itself a target of 20% of seats in parliament, which they consider to be very realistic.
Referring to his party's ad which had aroused controversy (for mentioning Suharto as a 'hero'. he said they would not make any changes, and that the ad was contracted to appear for three days running, from 9 - 11 November.
A spokesman for Gerindra expressed appreciation to PKS for suggesting a coalition with them but sais that this would depend on a decision taken by the party after the parliamentary elections have taken place.
Aceh Party seeks protection against intimidation
SINDO
November 16, 2008
Following news that the Aceh Party, a local party in Aceh, has experienced acts of intimidation, the party has asked for help from Bawaslu, the supervisory agency and from the KPU.
The party said that there were 'some elements' which are trying to corner the party. These elements are suggesting that the Aceh Party has a hidden agenda, to revive the issue of separatism, whereas the party insists that its programme is entirely within the framework of the Unitary Republic.They are trying to show that the party which was set up by former GAM combatants is in favour of separatism and using this as a form of intimidation of voters not to vote for it or for the other local Acehnese parties.
Things have become so difficult that some party's activists have decided to quit their positions because of the intimidation. If this intimidation is allowed to continue without sanctions against those responsible, it is feared that the commitment to the peace process will be damaged.
Adnan Beuramshah of the Aceh Party said that his party as well as the other local Acehnese parties have made clear their commitment to being part of Indonesia and have stated their acceptance of the Pancasila and the 1945 constitution. 'We have asked the KPU to take action against this intimidation,' he said. Law 10 on the Elections makes it clear that sanctions should be imposed against those who attempt to damage the electoral process. This intimidation also takes the form of threats which is a violation of the electoral law, Article 262.
Acts of intimidation may also include the practice of money politics, by bribing people not to vote for local Acehnese parties. 'People involved in such practices could face conviction of up to 36 months,' he said.
TopPlaying with Fire
Tempo Magazine No. 12/IX
November 18-24, 2008
National
The Justice & Prosperity Party promotes Suharto as a hero in a television commercial. Is it an attempt to make peace with the military?
THE 30-second-long television commercial presents eight national figures: Kiai Haji Hasyim Asyari, Kiai Haji Ahmad Dahlan, General Sudirman, Bung Tomo, Sukarno, Mohammad Hatta, Mohammad Natsir, and Suharto. All are referred to under the title of "heroes and teachers of the nation."
A reference to the national figures from Hasyim Asyari to Natsir poses no problem. But Suharto? Many people were sarcastic about this. "The reform and corruption eradication agenda proposed by the Justice & Prosperity Party (PKS) is only a lip service," said Deputy Coordinator of Indonesia Corruption Watch, Ibrahim Fahmi Badoh. For Ibrahim, Suharto is the representation of New Order's corruption and rottenness.
The PKS is playing with fire. This television commercial about the teachers of the nation, which cost Rp1 billion, was aired by five national television stations for three consecutive days, November 9-11, 2008. There are eight figures chosen for this commercial because the party's number for the elections is 8. The reference to Suharto as a hero and teacher of the nation has made people accuse this party of trying to curry favor with the Suharto's family.
PKS President Tifatul Sembiring denied this accusation. In his opinion, Suharto was featured in the commercial for Heroes Day as an effort for national reconciliation. "Despite his mistakes, Suharto did something for this nation," he said.
Despite his denial, Tifatul agreed there was something wrong with the television commercial. In his opinion, the commercial aired was different from the initial concept submitted to him. In the first scene, he said, the figures to appear were Sukarno and Suharto, to be followed by the sentence "They gave what they could." In the next scene, General Sudirman and Bung Tomo appeared, followed by the comment "They gave what they got." In the commercial aired, these words have been replaced by words of thanks to the teachers and heroes of the nation.
According to Tifatul, if it had been the initial concept that had been featured, there would have been no excessive reaction. "The sentence 'They gave what they could' is a general statement," he said.
Ipang Wahid, the consultant who prepared the commercial denied there was a change in concept. He said the substance of the commercial presented to Tifatul was just a storyboard. When the substance became a film, Tifatul did not see it. "There is no change at all. This is just a difference in interpretation," he said.
According to PKS politician, Agus Purnomo, Suharto was chosen after a serious discussion of the party's campaign team for the elections. "Through this commercial, the PKS wants to communicate to the public that PKS is not an exclusive party," he said.
The criteria set for the figures chosen are that they must be figures in the 20th century national movement (KH Hasyim Asyari and KH Ahmad Dahlan), freedom fighters (General Sudirman, Bung Tomo, Sukarno, and M. Hatta), and very influential figures (Suharto and Natsir). "Suharto meets the criterion as the most influential figure," Agus said.
Ipang said the PKS also followed the result of a survey conducted by the Institute for Economic and Social Research, Education, and Information (LP3ES) in which 34 percent of respondents chose Suharto as the most influential president. In the survey, Sukarno was chosen by 24 percent of respondents, while Yudhoyono by only 12 percent. "It has of course been taken into account that some people dislike Suharto," Agus said.
Agus admitted that his party advertised itself with a small budget. With just a small amount of money, they hope to steal public attention. Well, the commercial that includes Suharto may be considered an attempt to attract public attention.
A senior official of the party said the reference to Suharto in the commercial had from the beginning been intended as part of a project to "make peace" with the military. This is in line, for example, with what the Chairman of the Consultative Council of the party did last January when he wrote a letter to President Yudhohono asking that Suharto be forgiven.
Politically, the PKS believes the military still considers this party as a threat to national security because it is often associated with Ikhwanul Muslimin in Egypt. "Suharto was the most influential person in the military. By featuring Suharto, it is hoped we can embrace the military," said the source.
AZ, Agus Supriyanto, Anton Aprianto
Battle Lines Drawn For Indonesian Polls
Asia Times Online
November 18, 2008
By Tom McCawley
JAKARTA - Two old rivals are already jostling in Indonesia's biggest political battle, the presidential elections which take place every five years, with the next scheduled for September 2009. Incumbent President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has vowed to re-contest the seat he won from his former boss, Megawati Sukarnoputri. Next year, she will have a chance to win it back.
A flurry of polls in recent months has sketched a likely showdown between the two in an election likely to echo the themes of 2004's historic vote, when Indonesians directly elected their president for the first time in the country's 59-year post-colonial history.
Yudhoyono, 59, a reformist former army general, has since had to face the agonizing complexities of running the world's third-largest democracy. In stump speeches in villages, cities and TV interviews, he vowed on the 2004 hustings to create jobs, spark economic growth and crack down on endemic graft. In part, he has delivered as promised.
But as international oil prices spiked earlier this year, he was forced to cut subsidies and hike energy prices several times, causing grassroot voters to feel economic pain. "Tell the president the earthquake hurts," said one Yogyakarta night stall owner in the aftermath of the massive 2006 earthquake that
claimed thousands of lives, "but inflation and fuel price hikes hurt worse".
Megawati, 61, chairwoman of parliament's second-largest party, the PDI-P, has had four years to ponder the lessons of her last electoral defeat. Other old faces from 2004 promise to make an appearance, including two former generals closely linked to former strongman president Suharto, but they are unlikely to pose a serious challenge to the two front-runners.
Indonesia has a confusing, multi-stage election process. In April 2009, voters will choose candidates for the regional and national parliaments from national parties. Months later, they will vote for a president and a second-round election will follow if no candidate wins 50% of the vote. The myriad parties and candidates makes for a dazzling, complex web of horse-trading and political intrigue. In 2004, the vote went to a second round, with Yudhoyono winning 60.9% over Megawati's 39.1%.
New rules set in October will further complicate the process. Parliament introduced a 25% threshold of the popular vote, or 20% of parliament's seats for a party or coalition of parties to nominate a presidential candidate. Yudhoyono is thus likely to need an alliance with another major party, as his Democrat party only scored 8% in the 2004 elections. Yudhoyono confirmed in September that he would stand for re-election and coyly said it was "likely" incumbent Vice President Josef Kalla, chairman of the powerful Golkar party, would be his running mate.
Indonesia's still nascent science of polling puts Yudhoyono and Kalla as the likely frontrunners for the 2009 election. Polls have consistently showed the two creeping back from second place in mid-year, after the government hiked fuel prices, to a narrow lead in November. A survey by one think-tank, the Indonesian Research and Development Institute (IRDI), released in November, concluded that only Yudhoyono and Megawati had a realistic chance of winning the election. The IRDI survey listed Yudhoyono as the most popular, with 33% of 2,000 respondents in 33 provinces backing him. The poll listed Megawati's popularity at 17.9%.
Yudhoyono's Democrat Party is also gaining voters, according to another poll from the respected Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI). The poll showed the party's approval rating had risen to 16.8%, just outpacing parliament's two largest parties, Golkar with 21.5% and the PDI-P with 20%. The LSI poll said Yudhoyono's personal popularity, which rose to 62% in October-November from 45% in June, helped boost his party's image.
LSI director Saiful Mudjani was quoted as saying the rise was mostly due to the Democrat party's image as graft-free, led by Yudhoyono's clean image. His government has also overseen a major anti-graft campaign which has netted and jailed several high-level government officials on corruption-related charges.
Inflated expectations There were exceptionally high hopes for the US-educated Yudhoyono after his landslide victory in 2004. With two ministerial portfolios under his belt in previous administrations and a US master's degree, he was the best-qualified president on paper since Bacaruddin Jusuf Habibie in 1998. He has since raised Indonesia's profile abroad, overseeing a restoration of military ties with the US in 2005 after 14 years of restrictions. Under Yudhoyono, too, Indonesia has had a stronger global diplomatic presence, taking a seat on the United Nations Security Council and winning over powerful allies in Washington and the Middle East.
But governing has proved harder than campaigning. Rival parties in October 2004 circulated insulting text messages calling Yudhoyono a "chicken vegetable", which translated loosely into criticism that he was weak and indecisive. Yudhoyono's fledgling Democrat party only won 8% of the popular vote, propelling him into a sometimes uneasy alliance with the military-linked Golkar and several other parties.
Since then, bickering between parliament's 11 parties has often delayed lawmaking, disrupting bills ranging from the recent anti-pornography law to a long controversial mining bill, which was first tabled in 2001. Meanwhile, the outlying regions have pushed for more autonomy and control over local resources, straining relations with Jakarta.
Yet policy matters outside of Yudhoyono's control, namely the steady rise of international oil prices, which peaked at US$147 in mid-July, have had the biggest impact on his administration's vacillating popularity. Even strongman Suharto, who maintained an authoritarian grip on power during his 32-year rule, was reluctant to cut subsidies on fuel and power.
Yet when oil prices began rising to record levels, Yudhoyono had little choice but to reluctantly approve a series of price rises, which started in 2005 and culminated in May this year. Public opinion polls this year showed a direct link between domestic inflation rates and Yudhoyono's public approval ratings. Some analysts believe that the recent depreciation of the rupiah, which has lost 20% against the US dollar since September, will lead to a new surge in imported inflation in 2009.
Yudhoyono and Kalla (if he accepts the nomination) won't be short of economic ammunition going into the campaign season. In line with the global economy, Indonesia's economic growth is forecast to fall in 2009, but only slightly, dropping from about 6.1% this year to around 5%. The two leaders are also expected to campaign on their high-profile successes, including bringing peace to Aceh province in 2005 and apprehending dozens of Islamist terrorists whose activities had undermined confidence in the economy. An aggressive anti-graft campaign has netted dozens of high-profile officials and even former cabinet ministers.
A major test for Megawati will be whether she can cash in on Yudhoyono's failings. Economic growth of 5% will not be enough to create enough new jobs for new labor market entrants. Her party has a massive local reach throughout Indonesia's 17,000 islands, provinces and regencies, where there is still much resentment towards Jakarta. And Megawati's pedigree as daughter of Indonesia's founding president Sukarno is still a drawcard, particularly in central Java.
Yet critics claim she still maintains a sense that the presidency should be hers by birthright and that she has not shaken her famous aloofness. That could complicate her ability to form alliances, while Yudhoyono's presumed Golkar link will bolster his partnering power. The LSI poll listed former military chief Wiranto as the third most popular candidate with a 5% approval rating. Wiranto, 61, ran a polished campaign in 2004, employing foreign election consultants and a slick media barrage. A former aide of president Suharto, he won 26.2 million votes in the first round of the 2004 elections, or some 15% of the vote. Aides in his new Hanura party say they are confident of winning 15% of the legislative votes this time as well.
Another Suharto-era general, former special forces commander Prabowo Subianto, features in polls as the fourth- or fifth-most popular candidate with a 4.7% approval rating. Prabowo, 57, has had to fight off smears to his reputation due to allegations of human-rights abuses during his command. Yet the presidential aspirant has used advertising effectively, according to the LSI survey, with his Gerindra party enjoying a large national power base among market traders and farmers.
Yet much will depend on the economic mood of market traders, farmers and others. Indonesia's currency, the rupiah, was hovering at seven-year lows of around 11,800 to the dollar this week. The weakness reflects both investors' nervousness over the global and US financial crises and a local scramble for dollars to pay off debts. The value of Indonesia's commodity exports has also taken a hammering, driving down foreign exchange earnings.
Both trends are expected to drive up inflation in the year ahead. The major concern for Yudhoyono, who has a PhD in rural economics from the Bogor Agricultural Institute, will be creating jobs and curbing inflation, tasks which will be complicated by an emerging global economic downturn.
Tom McCawley is a Jakarta-based freelance journalist.
Top
Stance on candidates can wait, Din says
The Jakarta Post
November 20, 2008
by Andi Hajramurni, Makassar
Islamic organization Muhammadiyah will wait until after next year's legislative election to confirm where its political support lies, even though several of its members have been named as potential presidential candidates.
"I am one of the Muhammadiyah members who have been named by a political party as a presidential candidate," Muhammadiyah chairman Din Syamsuddin said.
"However, I will seek approval from the national executive board before accepting the nomination."
Din was speaking on the sidelines of the 11th congress of Nasyiatul Aisyiyah, Muhammadiyah's women's wing, in Makassar on Wednesday.
"It is common for parties to name Muhammadiyah members, perhaps as they have good potential, as presidential and vice presidential candidates," he said.
"However, the national executive board has agreed to decide whether to support its own members or other candidates based on the results of the legislative election."
Muhammadiyah will always support any members trusted to lead the nation because it always offers its best members for the development of Indonesia, Din said.
"And that's an honor for us. However, there are some rules members must obey, such as them not being allowed to hold two positions," Din said.
In opening the Nasyiatul Aisyiyah congress, State Minister for Women's Empowerment Meutia Farida Hatta Swasono said women's empowerment was necessary to produce highly skilled workers who could develop and manage the country's natural resources.
"Indonesia has plenty of natural resources but they are not well kept and managed because of the low quality of workers, even though we have one of the largest populations in Asia," she said.
"The low level of skills is because women are still being left behind in almost all sectors, from education and health to the economy and employment.
"How can women produce smart people if mothers are still being underdeveloped?"
Also attending the opening ceremony were South Sulawesi Governor Syahrul Yasin Limpo and Muhammadiyah executives from both the national and the provincial executive boards.
Meutia told congress delegates there were internal and external reasons for the poor development of women.
"Internally, most Indonesian women do not have the spirit to empower themselves, while externally there are cultural values sidelining women, especially in education," she said.
"That's why my office keeps pushing for Indonesian women to get equal treatment with their male counterparts in all sectors."
Civic groups are also needed to empower women, who should also seek their own empowerment, Meutia said.
"Empowering women is not only for herself but also for her friends, neighbors, families and most importantly her children," she said.
The congress will end on Friday.
TopMuhammadiyah chairman supports presidential candidacy of Prabowo
SINDO, 21 November 2008
The Chairman of Muhammadiyah, Din Syamsuddin considers Prabowo Subianto to be a fitting person to be the country's next president. He feels that this former commander of Kopassus (the army's elite unit) has the necessary leadership skills and vision to lead the nation. He was speaking to the press after having a meeting with Prabowo who had paid a visit to Muhammadiyah's office. Earlier Prabowo had visited Gus Dur to ask for his support.
Din Syamsuddin said that there was a close link between Gerindra, Prabowo's party, and the Muhammadiyah in their vision and their desire to defend the ordinary people. Din said he had expressed his gratitude to Prabowo because many members of Gerindra were from Muhammadiyah. Din
Syamsuddin praised Prabowo and said that many leading Muslim figures have compared him to Umar bin Khatab, a close companion of the Prophet.
Prabowo said that he had visited the office of Muhammadiyah as well as the offices of other parties to introduce them to his new party and to discuss ways to find solutions to the problems confronted by the nation. He denied that he had asked Din Syamsuddin to be his running mate, but said that he understands very well the importance of Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama to the Indonesian people. He said that nominations for president would depend greatly on the results of the parliamentary
elections.
Top
For VP Kalla it's a case of whoever wins he loses
The Jakarta Post
November 21, 2008
by Abdul Khalik, Jakarta
Victory or defeat for the Golkar Party in next year's legislative elections could spell certain doom for Vice
President and party chairman Jusuf Kalla, analysts say.
Golkar's failure to repeat its victory in the 2004 elections could fuel discontent and spark rebellion within the party, which could result in Kalla being labeled a failed chairman, they said Thursday.
With recent surveys showing Golkar trailing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party, Kalla's chances of retaining the nation's second-highest post are weakening, as the Democratic Party could seek a partnership with a stronger party.
"If Golkar fails to win and the Democratic Party beats the party, then Kalla's alliance with Yudhoyono could crumble as the President would simply look for another running mate, one who wouldn't have the potential to dictate him," Indo Barometer executive director Muhammad Qodari said.
In a surprise finding, the latest survey released by the Indonesian Survey Institute shows the Democratic Party as the most popular party if the elections take place today with support from 16.8 percent of respondents, meaning it has leapfrogged the traditionally stronger Golkar and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which secured 16 and 14 percent, respectively.
Qodari said Yudhoyono could simply take on as his running mate current People's Consultative Council speaker Hidayat Nurwahid of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) or another national figure from a minor party to replace Kalla.
Defeat for Golkar in next year's legislative elections could push the party to search for another popular figure to nominate as its own presidential candidate, rather than back Kalla for vice president, Qodari added.
A number of Golkar senior figures have said Golkar will be "very pragmatic" in choosing the party's presidential or vice presidential candidate.
Golkar's pragmatism implies the party, which once served as Soeharto's political vehicle for retaining power for 32 years until his downfall in 1998, is willing to sacrifice policies in order to stay a part of the country's ruling elite.
Golkar deputy secretary-general Rully Chairul Azwar said the party would pick a presidential or vice presidential candidate based on the figure's popularity and electability to ensure he or she won the election.
"There will be chaos if Golkar's local branches want change in the party's leadership and demand an alternative figure for president or vice president," Reform Institute executive director Yudhi Latif said.
However, should the party win the legislative elections, internal demand for an in-house presidential candidate will be irresistible, Qodari said.
A Golkar victory would also destroy any hope of a repeat partnership between Yudhoyono and Kalla, he said.
"With most members being very pragmatic, they will nominate the figure who has the highest ratings or popularity in the national polls. And it will not be Kalla," Qodari said.
All recent national surveys have shown Kalla's popularity in the 1 to 3 percent range, while Sultan Hamengkubowono X, also of Golkar, who declared his presidential bid last month, appears to be the most popular Golkar hopeful, securing around 6 percent of voters.
ICW wise to absence of Aburizal-SBY link
The Jakarta Post
November 21, 2008
by Ricky Yudhistira
There is no record chief welfare minister Aburizal Bakrie ever contributed to Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Jusuf Kalla's 2004 campaign fund, said Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) corruption
and politics coordinator Adnan Topan Husodo in Jakarta on Thursday.
However, he said the ICW had uncovered a number of irregularities in the fund -- which propelled the pair to President and Vice President in the country's first general election -- including donors with no addresses, fictitious company names and benefactors who were known not to have been able to have afforded their listed donations.
He said such practices violated Presidential Legislative Law No. 23/2003 Article 45 (1).
The General Elections Commission (KPU) has not commented on the finding.
Adnan, accompanied by ICW researcher Abdullah Dahlan (right), said forcing political parties to publish the names of their benefactors in public financial reports would not guarantee fool-proof transparency.
"The audit by public accountants is not a cleaning process for the parties' campaign funds. They can't easily claim that they are clean," he said.
He called on the KPU to anticipate repeated incidences by preparing stringent guidelines for auditing campaign funds.
Critics have said the KPU is ill-equipped to audit the estimated 20,000 party campaign funds -- as demanded by the 2008 Elections Law -- as the body only employs 800 registered public accountants.
The 38 political parties are required to submit one financial report for each of their regency, municipal, provincial and central offices.
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Auditing election campaign finances do not guarantee transparency
SINDO, 21 November 2008
The secretary-general of the Indonesian Public Accountants Institute (IAPI) said that auditing campaign funds will not necessarily lead to transparency and corruption-free accounts. This is because the parties
still have the space to commit misdemeanors and the auditors can only check the accounts that are submitted by the parties.
He said it was difficult for accountants to check all suspect contributors to campaign funding. The time provided was far too short (audits are supposed to be completed within one month according to the
Elections Law). He said that for a number of reasons his organisation could not guarantee that the auditing would be free from manipulation. It was very likely that parties have large sources of money beyond that which they report to the public accountants.
He said that there are only 700 public accountants who are required to audit 18,000 items on the books of the campaigning parties, both at the centre and in the regions. Auditing will be undertaken in the months of April and May 2009.
A spokesman from Indonesian Corruption Watch, Adnan Topan Husodo said that there can be no guaranteee of transparency, and no such transparency had been achieved in the elections in 2004. There were many contributions which had not been included in the list of contributions in 2004. He said it was a matter for regret that the Elections Law made no provision for administrative sanctions as it was only administrative sanctions that could prevent the party in question from participating in the election. He said it was up to the KPU to respond speedily whenever any violations were brought to light.
A member of the KPU (Elections Commission) said that the Commission was having discussions about these matters with the IAPI. A members of the Centre for Reporting and Analysing Financial Transactions, Yunus Huisein said that some parties did indeed behave incorrectly regarding the
auditing of their accounts. He said that in 2004, many contributors had not recorded their own names but had given names of other people if the amounts were exceeding the set limit for contributions. He said that in 2004, they had for instance discovered the name of a becak driver who had allegedly made a contribution of hundreds of thousands of rupiahs.
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UK donates £1 m to promote women's participation in democracy
The Jakarta Post [website]
November 26, 2008
The United Kingdom has signed an agreement to aid Indonesia with £1 million in its effort to promote the political participation of women in next year's general election.
The agreement was signed on Wednesday by British Ambassador to Indonesia Martin Hatfull and Hakan Bjorkman, country director of the United Nations Development Program (which would be responsible for managing the fund).
The signing was also attended by State Minister for National Development Planning Paskah Suzetta, General Elections Commission (KPU) chairman Abdul Hafiz Anshary, Elections Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) member Washidah Suaib and lawmaker Marwah Daud Ibrahim.
Hatfull said Indonesian women had succeeded in various fields. He hoped the aid would increase women's participation and representation in next year's general election.
Paskah said the aid formed a significant contribution in the process to develop democracy in Indonesia.
"Without a democratic election, the country could lose its direction," he said.
Meanwhile, Anshary said improving the quality of lawmaker candidates was essential. Women are often overlooked when it comes to quality leadership, he said.
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Disabled Fight Uphill Battle for Accessible Elections
The Jakarta Globe
November 23, 2008
Ridwan often feels like an outcast at his office in the General Elections Commission building in Jakarta. He has been using a wheelchair to get around since an accident when he was 19 years old left him partially paralyzed.
The building where he works is far from welcoming to people who are disabled. The entrance road to the building's main gate is on an incline. To reach his small corner office, Ridwan has to make his way around two staircases.
The 28-year-old said that he often waits until the staircases are clear of people before getting out of his wheelchair and wrestling it up the stairs. Despite the physical barriers and being treated as what he calls a "second-class citizen," Ridwan said he was still able to make it to his office every day.
"I work here every day from the morning until four [in the afternoon]," Ridwan said during an interview inside his office, which was provided by the elections commission to house an organization known as Access for People with Disabilities, or PPUA Penca.
Ridwan says his organization faces a multitude of obstacles in securing equal voting rights for people who are disabled.
"I fell from a coconut tree when I was 19," Ridwan said. "I was a normal person back then. The fall left me paralyzed over half my body. After the accident, during the 1999 elections, my family left me at home. They didn't think it was important for someone who was disabled to vote."
Ridwan later joined PPUA Penca and the organization placed him in the General Elections Commission office so he could lobby for better access for disabled people in the 2009 legislative and presidential elections.
"In West Java, people who are disabled like me face great challenges in trying to vote," Ridwan said.
"Some of the polling stations are in hilly areas. A friend of mine fell out of his wheelchair when one of its wheels got stuck in a hole when he was on his way to vote in the 2004 elections."
Ridwan said government data indicates there are around six million disabled people in Indonesia, more than 3 percent of the total population of 222 million. However, statistics from the World Health Organization estimate the disabled population in the country to be approximately 10 percent of the total population.
"This is the world of non-disabled people," Ridwan said, referring to the elections commission office.
Ariani Abdul Mun'im, who has been blind since she was a teenager, said obstacles and discrimination would not deter her from going to the polls.
"Though I feel that there is a lot of discrimination against disabled people, I always go to vote," Ariani said. "Before 2004, I always had a family member accompany me when I voted. But in the 2004 elections, the [elections] commission provided ballots in Braille, so now I can go and do it myself."
She said not all disabled people were as lucky. Most parents, she said, tend to turn their backs on disabled family members. "The number of disabled people is high," Ariana said. "But people are too embarrassed to admit they have a family member who is blind or unable to walk."
Fikri Thalib, a member of the People's Consultative Assembly who is a paraplegic, said an article in a draft bill surrounding the composition of legislative bodies stipulates that legislative candidates and other elected officials should be able to read and write in the Roman alphabet. "This is bad for the blind," Fikri said. "They can read, but in Braille."
"The government looks at us with pity but fails to provide us with equal opportunities, while we want empowerment," he said. "But we'll keep fighting for access to all sectors, including actively involving ourselves in the political world."
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KPU said total registered voters are 171,068,667
The Jakarta Post [website]
November 25, 2008
The General Elections Commission (KPU) said that the total number of eligible voters for the 2009 elections totalled 171,068,667, tempointeraktif.com reported Tuesday.
"The voters list is fixed and will not be amended," KPU chairman Abdul Hafiz Anshary told a media gathering late Monday evening.
He said the list included both domestic voters and those who were residing abroad.
"Of the total number of voters, 169,558,775 are domestic and those abroad amount to 1,509,892 people," Anshary said.
He added that East Java was the province with the most number of registered voters whereas West Papua was the province with the least, at 29,294,127 and 509,580 respectively.
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Hungry Parties May Take 'Dirty' Cash
The Jakarta Post
Monday, November 24, 2008
by Abdul Khalik, Jakarta
With the financial crisis set to drain political parties' coffers, it seems contenders in the 2009 elections could happily welcome any donations, no matter who they come from.
Political campaign funds could end up coming from businesspeople who absconded abroad with a fortune in state money to evade justice, experts warned on Sunday.
Elections observers said that, because donor contributions remained nontransparent, such donations might violate the 2008 election law, which caps donations at Rp 1 billion for an individual and Rp 5 billion for a legal entity.
A move by the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) to honor former president Soeharto as a hero and teacher of the nation in its recent TV advertisements has been seen as a matter of finance, given the fortune of the former first family.
"The ads are really just an attempt to seek an alliance with the Cendana family to strengthen the party's financial position. We know that the PKS is not a party with much money," said Bima Arya Sugiarto, a political analyst from Paramadina University.
"Cendana" is the name of the street on which Soeharto's family lives.
But PKS chairman Tifatul Sembiring denied any financial help from Soeharto's family.
"No, they didn't finance our latest ads," he said. "We have never received money from them."
The PKS has built its image on its fight against corruption, which plagued the Soeharto administration. Even since the former president's demise last January, the government has not halted its pursuit of the state money he allegedly embezzled.
"Dirty" businesspeople may have channelled billions of rupiah to parties so they can use their political connections for investment purposes or to have themselves cleared of any charges, Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) researcher Siti Zuhro said.
"Political parties will grab any funds given to them. These businesspeople give hard cash inside suitcases instead of transferring the money through the banks. This way, they can bury their trail, and the parties can avoid being accused of breaking the law," she said.
The current downturn in the markets has dragged many political parties into financial trouble, forcing them to scale back their television advertising.
Young figure Rizal Mallarangeng, widely known for his connection to Coordinating Minister for the People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie, forfeited his presidential bid citing a "lack of electability".
National Mandate Party (PAN) chairman Soetrisno Bachir has reportedly lost Rp 3 trillion (US$300 million) on the stock market while Golkar politicians have also admitted that problems in the Bakrie family businesses have reduced donations to the party from Aburizal.
Quota Ensures More Women Candidates in 2009 Polls
IPS News Agency
by Marwaan Macan-Markar
JAKARTA, Nov 24 (IPS) - After 20 years as an activist, in which she campaigned to shape social and economic policy in Indonesia, Binny Buchori is setting her sights on a new career -- as a politician.
It is a natural progression, she says, in a quest to improve the lives of this South-east Asian archipelago's marginalised millions. It is also the result of some reflection: that more needs to be done ten years after Indonesia rid itself of the three-decade-long Suharto dictatorship and embraced democracy.
''We have progressed well as a democracy, you can see it from the top to the bottom of our society, but democracy has not brought prosperity and justice for the people,'' 50-year-old Binny said over a cup of coffee at a cafe in this city. ''We need good policies that are supported by parliament and then get full financial backing from the government.''
But there is something more behind her career change to become a candidate for Golkar, the largest secular party, for the April 2009 parliamentary elections. The graduate from a university in Yogyakarta, where she will be contesting, wants to take advantage of affirmative action in favour of women in Indonesian politics.
Binny is one among a growing number of women -- ranging from activists and academics to entertainers and journalists – who are responding to election law, approved this year, requiring parties vying for the 550 seats to have 30 percent women candidates.
''Political parties have been under pressure to make this change,'' adds Binny, whose party will be one of 34 fielding candidates for the next April's poll. ''But I have told my women colleagues that we have to go beyond being happy with the 30 percent quota; we need better policy options.''
This law came after a ''long campaign by women's groups and NGOs (non-governmental organisations) to increase women's participation not only as voters but also as candidates,'' says Fida Nasrallah, chief technical advisor for the elections multi-donor programme at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). ''The new law is a positive development.''
Yet there are some drawbacks that may come to light after the results of next year's election, she explained in an interview. ''There are no sanctions against parties who do not meet the 30 percent target in determining the list of the winners. Women candidates have a disadvantage here, because they are not starting on a level playing field.''
The 2009 election law was introduced after an earlier one in 2003 failed to change the gender balance within the parliament of the country that is home to the world's largest Muslim population. The old law had only recommended a 30 percent quota for female candidates ahead of the general elections that year. Consequently, women parliamentarians made up only 11 percent of the legislature after the 2004 poll.
The expected rise in the number of female parliamentarians after next year's poll adds to the achievements Indonesia has already chalked in giving women a greater say in running the country in the past decade. The most noticeable has been in the executive branch -- a women president in Megawati Sukarnoputri, daughter of the country's first president, Achmed Sukarno, and head of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (or PDI-P).
Currently, two women hold powerful economic posts in the government: Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and Trade Minister Mari Pangestu.
The 10 years since the end of the Suharto dictatorship have also seen other noticeable gains for women. Laws to protect women against domestic violence, the setting up of crisis centres for women and legal assistance to help female victims are among them. They broke the barriers of Suharto's era, where ''motherhood politics'' was the norm, with women expected to play a subservient, domestic role to their male partners.
Yet such triumphs for the country's women's movement have not reduced the hurdles -- and harassment -- ordinary women have had to face.
Some limits on women -- such as punitive measures against single women seen on the streets after 10 p.m in an area on the outskirts of Jakarta -- have come, ironically, as a result of democracy. Newly elected local councils have imposed such limits on a woman's freedom of movement in the same way as Islamic laws have been passed to compel women to wear the hijab, the traditional Muslim garb for females.
''Women's bodies have become a political issue. The personal is very political,'' says Arimbi Heroepoetri, a member of the National Commission on Violence against Women. ''There is a growing attempt by some conservative groups to place restrictions on women.''
''Even on the economic front, old laws that discriminated against women during the Suharto era have still not been taken off the books,'' Arimbi told IPS. ''Banks do not give credit to women to start a business or even buy a car unless they get their husband's permission. These are areas the women candidates must work on.''
The economic disadvantage women face is mirrored in the high numbers they account for as migrant workers, both within the country and those who go to neighbouring countries as Singapore or Malaysia or the oil-rich Arab nations to labour as domestic workers.
Consequently, the female candidates now on the campaign trail will face ''a double burden,'' says Titik Hartini, executive director of the Association for Community Empowerment, a network of 27 grassroots NGOs working on poverty, health and the environment. ''They will have to get the parties they are running for to understand the special concerns women have and get party backing for it. Then they have to campaign for votes.''
One concern is the fact that Indonesia has not yet taken any effort to collect data on issues crucial to the well being of women such as gender-based violence and the reason for this has been attributed to lack of political will in male-dominated governments.
Binny, the Golkar candidate, admits to the challenge that lies ahead.
''Men are not interested in welfare issues and the social concerns that matter to women. They only talk about poverty reduction and budget allocations,'' she says. ''But we now have the space opened for us to change that. I want to help the women.''
Election contestants urged to address women's issues
The Jakarta Post
Monday, November 25, 2008
by Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta
The National Women's Commission has called on political parties contesting the 2009 legislative elections to address women's rights issues, citing the high number of discriminative policies and recent incidences of violence against women.
The commission made the call Monday at the launch of a 16-day campaign opposing violence against women. The campaign will start Tuesday in conjunction with International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and will end Dec. 10 on Human Rights Day.
Commission deputy head Sylvana Maria Apituley said the campaign sought to encourage female voters to cast their ballots next year, but only for political parties and legislative candidates promoting women's issues.
"Women voters should not miss the chance to elect their representatives in the election. They should use their right carefully. Through this campaign, we are urging political commitment from the candidates to fulfill women's rights," she said.
"Women will contribute a lot to the elections since 51 percent of the population is female, meaning they have the potential to be the majority with about 172 million voters."
Sylvana said the commission had recorded 25,522 reported cases of women's rights abuses so far in the year, including domestic violence, migrant worker exploitation, women trafficking and sexual abuse.
She said the campaign was also expected to abolish laws and bylaws discriminating against women.
"Such regulations use religion and moral and political motives just to criminalize women," she said, adding that the commission had noted the existence of 28 such bylaws.
To push legislative candidates to accommodate women in their policies, the commission also urged women groups to ink "political contracts" with election candidates, commissioner Ninik Rahayu said.
She said the campaign had drawn up a contract agreed to by the candidates that would be disseminated to voters throughout the country.
"This contract will ensure the candidates' commitment to not neglecting women's issues in their policies once they are elected. And it is the duty of women groups and other civil society organizations to monitor the implementation of the policies."
Ninik said a similar political contract had been submitted with and signed by candidates in the East Java gubernatorial election. The contract was drafted by the commission and 35 local NGOs.
During the anti-violence campaign, the commission and 38 state and private institutions nationwide will hold various events, including peaceful rallies, seminars, dialogues and surveys.
SBY No Shoo-In, with Rivals Gaining Strength
The Jakarta Post, Op-Ed
November 26, 2008
by Aleksius Jemadu, Bandung
The fact that no single political party can rely on its own power to win the 2009 presidential election means that all Indonesian political parties are busy, trying to create the most politically feasible coalition in order to secure victory in the election.
After a long process of negotiations and lobbying, eventually the House of Representatives (DPR) last month managed to set a threshold of 20 percent of House seats or 25 percent of the popular vote as the minimum a party or a coalition of parties must win to be able to nominate its own presidential candidate.
There has been a hot debate as to whether or not Golkar Party -- as the biggest political party -- will maintain incumbents Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) and Jusuf Kalla (JK) as candidates for president and vice president, respectively, in 2009. It is not difficult to find out why in his position as the chairman of Golkar JK does not rule out the possibility of this proposal.
The defeat of Golkar's candidates in several gubernatorial elections has led its leaders to rethink the party's chances in the upcoming presidential election. Unless Golkar wins a convincing 25 to 30 percent of the popular vote in the legislative election it is very unlikely that the party will nominate JK as its presidential candidate.
On top of that, JK understands very well that his chances of becoming president are not very high even if his party wins the 2009 legislative election. As a matter of fact, his main political liability is that he is not from Java -- to be precise -- he is from South Sulawesi. This is the reason why until now Golkar has seemed indecisive about nominating its own presidential candidate for the 2009 election.
Thus, the most realistic choice for JK is to maintain the status quo. JK's political calculations are not without opposition from different factions of Golkar. Those who oppose JK's proposal argue that as the biggest political party Golkar deserves to have its own presidential candidate. Thus, it is very likely that internal conflict among Golkar's factions will make it difficult for the party to sustain its political preponderance.
If the SBY/JK pair is indeed maintained in 2009, it is most likely that the biggest challenge will come from the coalition between the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS). There has been an enthusiastic discussion about the promotion of Megawati Soekarnoputri and the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Hidayat Nur Wahid -- who is also a former PKS president -- as candidates for president and vice president, respectively, in 2009. There are various reasons why the PDI-P/PKS coalition will constitute a serious contender for SBY and JK.
First, the two parties represent two major constituencies of the Indonesian political community: The nationalists and the rising Islamic urban middle class. Over the past few years the two parties have consolidated their respective credentials in order to enlarge their outreach to voters. The PDI-P has been active in rebuilding its Islamic credentials by establishing Baitul Muslimin Indonesia as its instrument to attract Islamic voters.
At the same time, the PKS has made a serious effort to change its image to a sectarian party by telling the public that it supports pluralism and rejects the idea of establishing an Islamic state. On top of that, by winning the vice presidential seat in 2009, the PKS expects to secure a stepping stone to the top position in 2014.
Second, a quite convincing victory achieved by the two parties in several gubernatorial elections and the failure of the candidates from Golkar have strengthened their self-confidence that this achievement will affect their effectiveness in the 2009 elections.
Third, the global economic recession and its negative impact on the Indonesian economy will undoubtedly threaten the popularity of SBY and JK. In time of severe economic crisis, voters easily turn to new presidential candidates with the hope that he or she can mitigate their suffering.
And last but not least, the close cooperation between the nationalist and the Islamic group can contribute significantly to Indonesian political stability. One of the weaknesses of SBY and JK is their reluctance to ban the radical religious groups which have disturbed public order and social harmony through their anarchic activities.
With the victory of a combination of a nationalist Megawati Soekarnoputri and a religious Hidayat Nur Wahid problems of religious radicalism can easily be managed for the benefit of the Indonesian public as a whole.
The writer is a professor teaching at Department of International Relations of UNPAR Bandung. He can be reached at aleks@home.unpar.ac.id
Elections Risk Being Logistical Nightmare
The Jakarta Globe
Saturday, November 29, 2008
by Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Camelia Pasandaran
Indonesian poll officials face the daunting task of delivering election materials to all corners of the world's largest archipelago for next year's elections, as reforms in the military mean that there will be only limited assistance from the Armed Forces.
In previous elections the military provided logistical help, but it is now barred from such activities because it is required to maintain political neutrality.
"It is not easy to reach small islands to distribute election materials," said Turunan B. Gulo, a member of the North Sumatra General Elections Commission.
Election materials include ballot papers, ballot boxes, ink and pens. As an example, Turunan said that Nias archipelago consisted of 30 scattered islands, and during rough seas it would not be possible to travel between the main island of Nias and the outer islands.
The same could be said for North Sulawesi.
"There are three island-districts in North Sulawesi — Sangihe, Sitaro and Talaud. When tides are particularly high, we have to use helicopters or small planes to reach the islands," said Jeffrey Delarue, a member of the North Sulawesi General Elections Commission.
Sri Andawati, a polling commission official from Central Sulawesi, said that in previous elections, distribution of poll materials was backed up by the military.
"We used military ships and airplanes to handle the logistics," Sri said.
The military will not be involved in logistical preparations for the 2009 legislative and presidential elections unless it there is an emergency, according to an Armed Forces spokesman, Air Vice Marshal Sagom Tamboen Some elections commissions, such as the one in Riau Islands Province, have already asked for military support in delivering elections materials to rural areas, Sagom said.
But he said the military had issued an order barring active military personnel from becoming involved in any political activities, including participating in political party campaigns.
He said that soldiers who broke the order would be punished.
Indonesia will hold legislative elections in April 2009, followed by a presidential election in July.