Democrats Mull New Faces or Old Guard
Much of the character of the 2014 election may depend on whether a new political face, such as Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo, emerges next month from the ruling Democratic Party's candidate convention. (JG Photo/Safir Makki)
The question of whether next year's presidential election will be contested by fresh young candidates or dominated by the old guard hinges largely on how the ruling Democratic Party's candidate convention next month pans out, an analyst says.
Jeffrie Geovannie, a member of the board of advisers at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said on Sunday that there was a sense of resignation that the election would feature the same candidates as in past polls, known colloquially as "Lu Lagi, Lu Lagi" ("You Again, You Again"), or "4L."
"But let's not be too pessimistic that the 2014 presidential election will only be about the 4L. In fact, I suspect that perhaps none of the 4L faces will appear in the election," Jeffrie said.
"Their domination of national politics can be stopped, if young figures emerge from conventions by political parties to choose their presidential candidates."
He said the most prominent 4L figures were Megawati Sukarnoputri, chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P); Wiranto, chairman of the People's Conscience Party (Hanura); and Prabowo Subianto, the founder and chief patron of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra).
Megawati served as president from 2001 to 2004, before losing in the 2004 and 2009 elections to Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Wiranto also ran against Yudhoyono in 2004 and as a vice presidential candidate in 2009, while Prabowo, the current front-runner for 2014 according to most polls, was Megawati's running mate in 2009.
Jeffrie said the lineup of candidates for next year would depend on the success of the Democratic Party's convention. He said he was optimistic that the event would allow charismatic leaders from outside the political mainstream, such as Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan and Mahfud M.D., the former chief justice of the Constitutional Court, to come forward.
"The convention can become a platform for them to present themselves to the voting public," he said.
"Whether 2014 marks the continuation or the end of the gerontocracy will depend on the outcome of the Democrats' candidate convention."
Endang Tirtana, a political analyst from the Maarif Institute for Culture and Humanity, said it was important for the old guard to make way for a new generation of leaders in order to maintain a vibrant and robust democracy.
"With the appearance of fresh faces in the lineup for the presidential election, there's a hope that we can breathe some life back into national politics and end the gerontocracy," he said.
"This becomes even more urgent when you consider that a lot of the established figures aren't known for being tough on corruption, or don't have very good track records themselves. If we allow them to stay on, public apathy in the political process will continue to increase."
Both Wiranto and Prabowo have been linked to human rights abuses during their time in the military, while Megawati's husband, Taufik Kiemas, is alleged in US diplomatic cables published by Wikileaks to have engaged in "legendary corruption during his wife's tenure."
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