Pitan Daslani – Shortly after retired military generals were reported to be preparing for a "Star Wars" in the 2014 presidential election, former chief of State Intelligence Agency (BIN) A.M. Hendropriyono cautioned that their time had passed and "now is the time for young non-military figures" to lead the nation.
Hendropriyono's warning, published earlier this month in Kompas, was perceived to be directed at Gen. (Ret.) Prabowo Subianto, chairman of Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), Gen. (Ret.) Wiranto, chairman of People's Conscience Party (Hanura), and former commander of the military Gen. (Ret.) Endriartono Sutarto, who was reported to have joined National Democrat Party (NasDem) in order to get a ticket to enter the presidential race.
He suggested that these retired generals remember their military code of conduct and soldier's oath, which calls for sincere dedication to the nation without expectations of rewards of promotions or selfish gains.
Hendropriyono is a former trainer of many generals, including President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and is highly respected in military and civilian circles. His service in the intelligence field has earned him the reputation of being Indonesia's most revered intelligence maestro. He is also the creator of the "Philosophy of Intelligence," a new branch of intelligence science that he is promoting through his book "Filsafat Intelijen."
Before Hendropriyono made the remark, three important military gatherings had taken place. Angkatan 73 in Tampak Siring, Bali, that brought together 1973 graduates of the Indonesia Armed Forces Academy (Akabri) reportedly discussed the possibility of the Democratic Party (PD) giving a presidential ticket to the current Coordinating Minister for Politics, Legal, and Security Affairs, Djoko Suyanto. Yudhoyono was ready to endorse it, but this wasn't convincing enough.
Another important development occurred soon after. Angkatan 70, which brought Akabri's 1970 graduates in Balai Kartini in Jakarta, was special, not only because Yudhoyono addressed it, but because of an appeal by Gen. (Ret.) Luhut Pandjaitan that if a military figure should lead the nation, "he must be a person with clean and reputable track record."
Luhut, the former Minister of Trade, repeated that phrase at least twice, indicating that they would block any attempt by retired generals with poor track records to move forward.
When he was still a major, Luhut was Prabowo's superior who had prevented Prabowo from mobilizing forces to attempt a coup, according to former chief of Udayana Military Command Gen. (Ret.) Sintong Panjaitan, in his book "Perjalanan Seorang Prajurit Para Komando" ("The Journey of a Paramilitary Soldier").
Apart from this, Prabowo has yet to completely clear allegations of his involvement in the disappearance of several human rights and political activists during the reign of his former father-in-law Suharto, the ousted dictatorial president.
Therefore, some political analysts suspect that Luhut was targeting Prabowo when he stated that military figures must have good reputations to run for office.
A third military gathering took place at the Ministry of Defense where former Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono briefed military leaders on the future strategic landscape of Indonesia.
But after all these meetings, Hendropriyono declared that the time for military leaders to run in the presidential election has passed and the nation must now encourage young civilian figures.
Hendropriyono paraphrased the soldier's oath and code of conduct in a phrase easily understood by ordinary people – tut wuri handayani, meaning that a true leader should stay back and give direction. In politics, this means that retired armed forces officers should refrain from practical politics, but they can still provide direction, insight and wisdom for the civilian leaders who run the country.
But Hendropriyono also mentioned another requirement: the next president should come from the younger generation. In Indonesia, retirement age is 55, therefore the "younger generation" includes members no older than 54.
Using that age limit, none of the presidential candidates on stage meets the criteria. Golkar's Aburizal Bakrie, while a non-military figure, is in his 60s, as are Indonesian Democratic Party Struggle's (PDI-P) Megawati Sukarnoputri and Gerindra's Prabowo. One of the most popular figures in opinion polls, former Vice President Jusuf Kalla, is in his 70s. They are the most popular presidential candidates and yet exceed Hendropriyono's age limit.
Consequently, we need to look for alternative candidates and perhaps add even more requirements. Alternative candidates must have experience leading a high-ranking state institution, so that they will not waste time and energy learning the basics of state administration and bureaucratic leadership.
The second requirement candidates should have broad-based acceptability – they must be well received and their pluralist stance must have been proven in society.
Candidates must also come from exemplary harmonious families, as those who can manage relationships well will have the managerial capability and moral legitimacy.
The fourth requirement is international acceptability and reputation. The next president must not be a person who has been judged to have questionable personality or a bad track record. As a regional and global player as well as a lucrative investment destination, Indonesia needs a leader that is well respected for far-reaching vision and ideas. Foreign investors must feel secure that the president is friendly to other nations and upholds the authority of law.
They must be managers of the nation with proven leadership capabilities in executive, legislative or judiciary sectors. It's too risky to give office to someone without leadership skills or to a business leader with conflicts of interest.
Who are the candidates suitable as presidential candidates based on the above criteria? Let us propose names and assess their chances.
Irman Gusman, chairman of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD), meets all those requirements. On the state structure, his chair is equal in status to that of Yudhoyono. He is well respected in this multicultural society and has a clean track record, proven leadership of a high-ranking state institution, and is a staunch advocate of pluralist harmony.
Irman hails from Muhammadiyah, Indonesia's second-largest Islamic organization, and once held a high position in the Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals Association (ICMI). He is also very well received in Christian circles because of his pluralist stance and of the fact that he was once chairman of the Student Senate of the Indonesian Christian University.
Irman, who earned a masters degree from an American university, has represented Indonesia in many international forums. In June, he gave a keynote speech to APEC Fortune 500 and a SME gathering in China. He was also invited by the Washington-based Brookings Institution to address the US-Islamic World Forum in Doha, Qatar.
"Gus Irman," as he is referred to by friends who want his name to sound Javanese, is widely acceptable across the country because he is the boss of 132 Senators that sit on DPD – the second chamber of the parliament. But he needs a ticket to reach the palace – a proposal by a coalition of political parties that wins 25 percent of popular vote or 20 percent of parliamentary seats.
The ruling Democratic Party, which does not have a statesman-level candidate, may give Irman a ticket if it conducts a convention in the second half of 2013 to attract potential outside party candidates.
If a Javanese public figure such as Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo or PDI-P's heir to the political throne, Puan Maharani, becomes Irman's running mate, they would make the most suitable pair.
Another potential candidate is chairman of the Constitutional Court Mohammad Mahfud Mahmodin. His political vehicle is National Awakening Party (PKB) and Nahdlatul Ulama is his bastion.
Mahfud has a tough leadership style and is a suitable candidate, because on the state structure his position is on par with Yudhoyono and Irman. But he recently angered the ruling party with the remark that the palace had been inhabited by "legal mafia" that caused the president to convert a drug dealer's death penalty to life imprisonment.
Few other candidates would meet the above requirements. There are many capable figures, but no one else has proven leadership records in a high-ranking state institution. There are many potential candidates, but they lack experience and statesmanship qualities.
[Pitan Daslani is a senior political correspondent at BeritaSatu Media Holdings, of which the Jakarta Globe is a subsidiary. He can be reached at pitandaslani@gmail.com.]