Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – A coalition of activists warned that there would not be substantial changes in policies dealing with budget, education, energy and mining, law enforcement and poverty reduction sectors whoever wins the July 8 presidential election.
The coalition made the statement Sunday after tracing available track records of the three presidential candidates and checking mission statements submitted to the General Election Commission (KPU).
"We find no indications of better policies in the next five years once they are elected since each candidate [only] offers weak and normative vision and mission statements to the KPU," said Ridaya Laodengkowe, coordinator of the national coalition for transparency and accountability in the extractive sector.
The coalition assessed policies issued by Megawati Soekarnoputri during her presidency from 2002 to 2004 and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla in the last five years. There were controversial energy contracts causing financial losses.
"Megawati signed a contract to sell gas from Tangguh field in Papua to Korea at a very cheap price. Yudhoyono then failed to renegotiate the price before launching the first shipment last week," said Ridaya. The candidates only promised to review contracts, with no details.
The coalition said budget allocations for agriculture, education and health sectors remained the same under Megawati and Yudhoyono. "The increase of 20 percent budget allotted to education sector was not made by Yudhoyono. It is from the Constitution Court " Ridaya said.
Megawati and Yudhoyono vowed to maintain 20 percent of budget for education while Kalla promised to increase it to 25 percent, he said.
The coalition claimed that their assessment on law enforcement showed that both Megawati and Yudhoyono remained half-hearted in punishing government officials allegedly involved in graft cases.
"We can see from both aspects that all candidates have failed to convince us about a better law and budgeting policy in the future," secretary general of the Indonesia Forum for Budget Transparency (FITRA) Secretary-General, Yuna Farhan, told a press conference. "They will not likely give a significant change, at least based on their track records."
Megawati was allegedly lenient according to the coalition in cases involving top officials while president, such as in the case of then religious affairs minister Said Agil Al Munawar who ordered an excavation on an archaeological site near a stone inscription from the 16th century Pajajaran Kingdom.
Yulianto from the Consortium for National Legal Reform (KRHN) said the Bogor City Police had investigated Said on the alleged illegal dig but failed to pursue it because Megawati did not issue the permission required to probe a minister.
"The case shows that Megawati was reluctant to treat every citizen equally before the law, if the suspect was one of her ministers," he said.
"Yudhoyono signed political contracts with all of his ministers right away after he was inaugurated as president," Yulianto said.
"However, he let State Minister for National Development Planning Paskah Suzetta and Forestry Minister M.S Kaban stay in his administration despite the two having been suspected of receiving bribes from Bank Indonesia officials in 2003."
As for Kalla, Yulianto alleged the incumbent vice president had no significant track record, having never been a president before.
"However, as the current Vice President, Kalla can be considered as taking part in all of Yudhoyono's policies including in law enforcement and budgeting sectors," he said. (bbs)