Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Vice President Jusuf Kalla is under fire for his statement that democracy is less important than political stability and security in attracting foreign investors to Indonesia.

Djoko Susilo, a legislator from the National Mandate Party (PAN), and Effendi Choirie of the National Awakening Party (PKB) accused Kalla of "dreaming about the return of Soeharto-style authoritarianism".

Kalla, who is also the Golkar Party chairman and head of a business conglomerate, made the statement when addressing the Indonesian community Saturday in New York.

Djoko and Effendi said given his important role in the government, Kalla should not have said something which in their opinion revealed him to be anti-reform. "Do his views reflect those of Golkar?" Effendi asked. Indonesia's largest political party was the vehicle Soeharto used to rule with an iron fist for 32 years.

Defending his statement, Kalla said foreign businesspeople were more interested in investing their money in Vietnam and China because they are politically stable, even though they are not democratic and their respect for human rights is generally seen as inferior to Indonesia's.

Kalla has been in the US trying to convince investors to do business in Indonesia, which some argue has become a less attractive corporate target since Soeharto's fall in 1998.

Djoko said stability and security would come when democracy, strong law enforcement and good government were firmly in place. "The Vice President should understand that political instability in Indonesia has to do with the corrupt bureaucracy, the absence of good governance and legal certainty, and the rising unemployment rates," he said.

Djoko said the government has panicked since its effort to revise the labor law was thwarted by strong resistance from workers' unions.

Effendi and Djoko called on the government to reform the bureaucracy and strengthen law enforcement in order to improve public service and ensure legal certainty. They said the bureaucracy and judiciary system were corrupt because civil servants and law enforcers were underpaid.

"Once the bureaucracy is reformed, red tape in applying for business licenses will end, and once legal certainty is in place, investors will come in and feel safe," said Djoko.

Djoko doubted Kalla would succeed in attracting American investors unless Indonesia worked hard to improve the business climate.