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Indonesia: Wahid's Party Seeks Early Elections
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 23 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Indonesia's National Awakening Party (PKB) has launched a campaign to end a political stalemate that has locked Indonesia's President Abdurrahman Wahid against Parliament.
The party confirmed in a press statement Wednesday that it is seeking early general elections in the country.
Wahid heads the PKB formed on the eve of the 1999 general elections.
The move by the party surprised observers in Jakarta who said they expect some major decision making by Wahid on his return from a 15-day Middle East tour.
Ali Masykur Musa, a senior PKB legislator, called for early general elections in order to overcome the nation's long-standing political deadlock, he said.
"A general election is a form of political consolidation with a relatively low cost, which will produce a new legitimacy," Musa was quoted by Antara in Jakarta.
Musa said he believed Wahid would win total support from the Nhladatul Ulama (NU) political party, which has a membership base of more than 40 million. He said the PKB would support Wahid in the event of fresh polls.
His comments come amid ongoing street protests for and against Wahid, following a parliamentary censure of the president.
Musa said the nation needs a leader who is directly elected by the people, rather than one selected through political compromises. He was referring to the Parliamentary vote that elects a President in the country; something he says does not represent a direct election process.
Indonesia does not yet have a law allowing for direct presidential elections, yet observers believe the Parliament and other legislative bodies in the country could change that and pave the way for direct Presidential polls.
Musa acknowledged that cost would be a crucial factor requiring careful consideration before holding an early general election.
However, he claimed that aid from foreign donors could be used, because many nations are interested in promoting the development of democracy in Indonesia, Antara reported.
"I think the people will be well prepared for this [an early general election]. It is members of the political elite that might reject the idea, for fear of gaining nothing [because they lack public support]," he said.
Referring to the censure of Wahid by Parliament, he said that the President was prepared to answer the legislators, but added that he did not know whether that would satisfy the parliament in the end.
Musa said even if Wahid's explanation is deemed satisfactory, there is no guarantee that lawmakers will stop looking for ways to oust him. "That's why an early general election would be more effective," he added.
Wahid departed on a 15-day visit to the Middle East, and would perform the Hajj in Saudi Arabia during the same trip. He left Indonesia in a chaotic state that could spell doom for both his presidency and political stability in the country.
However, Indonesia is finding it difficult to find a replacement for Wahid at the top post, because of a lack of legitimate political candidates willing to sit on the ASEAN hot seat.
Wahid's group of foreign advisors has warned that the giant archipelago of 30,000 islands against "people power," saying it could be dangerous for the succession leadership in Indonesia.
Singapore Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew, one of the many Wahid advisors, said that the next succession in Indonesia must not take place through street demonstrations, as was the case in the Philippines recently.
Lee said if street protests caused another casualty in Indonesian presidential choice, it would produce an unstable government and disrupt the development process of the country.
Lee met with potential presidential candidates recently on his tour of Indonesia. He had closed door meetings with vice president Megawati Sukarnoputeri, speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR) Amien Rais and Golkar Party leader Ackhbar Tandjung.
"If Indonesia continuously replaces its government through people power, the country will become a banana republic as once happened in several Latin American countries," Lee was quoted by Amien Rais as saying.
Conflict between Wahid and lawmakers intensified when on February 1st, the House of Representatives (DPR) censured the president over alleged involvement in two financial scandals.
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