Fedhly Averouss Bey, Jakarta – The names of six popular presidential candidates have been included in a list of rotten politicians by the University (UI) of Indonesia Student Executive Council (BEM). They are President Megawati Sukarnoputri, Golkar Party chairperson Akbar Tanjung, former President Gus Dur (Abdurrahman Wahid), the eldest daughter of former President Suharto, Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana (Tutut), former armed forces chief Wiranto and Suharto’s former son-in-law Prabowo Subianto. BEM UI is calling on the public not to vote for them.
This list was posted up by around 50 UI students from BEM UI in front of the National Election Commission (KPU) offices in Central Jakarta on Thursday March 11.
The six names were netted in a list of rotten politicians resulting from a poll by BEM UI of 1000 UI students on March 5-9. Tanjung, who was placed in top position in the list, was chosen by 85.4 per cent of respondents. Megawati was placed in second position by 64.4 per cent of respondents. In third position is Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana with 63.6 per cent followed by Wiranto who got 52.9 per cent. Next is Subiakto with 48.5 per cent and sixth place was taken by Gus Dur with 48.3 per cent.
As well as these six names, BEM UI also included four other names in the poll, National Mandate Party chairperson Amien Rais, the Coordinating Minister of Politics and Security Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono [who had only just resigned from his post on Thursday afternoon], Justice and Prosperity Party chairperson Hidayat Nurwahid and the Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra. However none of the respondents selected these four names.
“The majority of UI students chose not to select these four names. This may be because they don’t yet know what their politics are like”, BEM UI chairperson Muhamamd Nur Hidayat (Masnur) told Detik.com during a break in speeches at the KPU.
He explained that the criteria they used in determining a rotten politician was indications of corruption, collusion and nepotism, selling off national assets, committing human rights crimes, failing to care about the environment, being linked with Suharto’s New Order regime, not making education the highest priority and indications of drug use. (iy)
[Translated by James Balowski.]
