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PDI-P Against Independents Running for Presidency
Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Antara | March 29, 2011

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enakajah
11:32am Mar 29, 2011

It's always the same pathetic argument to start. It's could only foster vote buying>>>> like the whole current system isn't run on exactly that basis. My goodness these people are so full of self righteous nonsense. It make every word Pak Yohanes has said in his article on Sense of Might come through crystal clear.

However Megadisapponitment does go on and does make some sense. “For me, anything related to politics must have a real platform, vision and mission, and must be organized.” I absolutely agree and perhaps she might want to consider looking for one in the country, finding it and letting us all know about it. It must be hidden under a rock somewhere.

The rest of this is just self serving drivel from Mega's Daughter a product of the Dynastic mentality of parties today.

An independent would have no chance at all of running the country simply because these people would do whatever they could regardless of right or wrong to insure that the President was completely isolated and ineffective.

“I believe it would be better if the proposed constitutional amendment was aimed at improving the performance of political parties.”

This is perhaps the only positive statement made in this article. A good start would be to take all of the parties we have at the moment down to Tanjung Priok sticking them in as many containers as necessary and shipping them of to some deserted island so we could start all over again with real people and proper candidates.


devine
10:48am Mar 29, 2011

They are all against an independent canditate just to maintain "status quo". We will be left with the same (often selfproclaimed) "leaders" in 2014, and therefore nothing will change to the better...

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Former President Megawati Sukarnoputri on Monday dismissed calls for nonpartisan candidates to be allowed to run for president, saying it would only foster vote-buying.

Megawati, who chairs the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said it was important that anyone seeking high office should be backed by a political party or other organization with a given platform and clear membership records.

An independent candidate, she argued, would not enjoy this formal support base and hence would have to rely on what she called “the liquid masses,” or groups without a committed platform.

“An independent candidate can gather that liquid mass [to a campaign rally] by paying them off, or just providing entertainment and they’ll come,” she said.

“The next day, another independent candidate could draw the same masses to their own event.

“For me, anything related to politics must have a real platform, vision and mission, and must be organized.”

The former president was responding to an earlier announcement by the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) that it was lobbying for a raft of constitutional amendments, one of which would allow independents to run for president.

Other proposed changes outlined in the draft recently completed by the council include curtailing the role of the executive branch of the government in legislation and giving the DPD the power to impeach the president.

Puan Maharani, Megawati’s daughter and head of political affairs for the PDI-P, said her party was concerned that the proposal to let independents contest the presidency was aimed ultimately at slashing political parties’ clout.

Rather than introduce changes to the constitution to accommodate independent candidates, it would be better to improve the current presidential system, Puan said.

She argued it would be no easier for a nonpartisan president to stabilize their administration than it would be for one backed by a party, citing the difficulties encountered by some independent regional heads in getting budget approval from their legislatures.

The constitution allows independent candidates to run for mayor, district head or governor.

“Even a candidate from a political party often can’t perform to their utmost, so how can an independent candidate do better?” Puan asked.

“Who will back them up in the [legislature]? It would be very difficult for them.”

Mahfud M.D., Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court, said on Monday that while he agreed with the current system, in which a presidential candidate can only be nominated by a political party, it could be improved.

“We should focus on how the political parties vet the most qualified candidates,” he said.

“I believe it would be better if the proposed constitutional amendment was aimed at improving the performance of political parties.”

He added that the call for independents to run likely stemmed from growing public dissatisfaction with political parties.

Adhie Massardi, former spokesman for the late President Abdurrahman Wahid, agreed that most parties had failed to live up to voters’ expectations, but said amending the Constitution to allow independent candidates to run would be going too far.

In the long term, Adhie argued, the independent candidate would prove as useless as a party-backed candidate.

“I’m sure that given the current wave of public criticism against them, the political parties will improve their performance,” he said.

“And once they get better, no candidates will consider running as an independent.”

He said his research into regional elections showed that “almost all independent candidates lose.”

However, John Pieris, head of the DPD working committee on the proposed amendments, said allowing independents to run for president represented “the implementation of true democracy.”