Achmad Sukarsono, Jakarta – Ex-general Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the frontrunner, and another former military man contesting Indonesia's presidency squared off on Thursday over graft and jobs in the last of two official campaign debates.

Indonesians vote directly for their president for the first time on July 5, and the election commission ordered the five contenders and their vice presidential running mates to appear in two televised debates.

Two candidates faced a panel of four questioners on Wednesday and three on Thursday. Candidates were allowed to criticise one another's replies but were barred from questioning each other directly.

On the country's chronic corruption, which many analysts say the current attorney general has failed to tackle, Yudhoyono, a former general and more recently security minister, said:

"I'll ask the attorney general what he has done so far on the legal process against the ones who have been accused of committing graft."

Another ex-general, former military chief Wiranto, vowed to immediately reopen shelved cases and chase new ones, while his running mate, Salahuddin Wahid, suggested a hunt for a new attorney general. "We really have to search for an attorney general who is honest, brave and professional," said Wahid.

On economics, former Suharto adjutant Wiranto chided his army junior Yudhoyono for failing to make a clear choice when asked whether he would put a higher priority on creating more jobs or on boosting salaries for employed Indonesians.

"A leader at times must face dilemmas but there are choices that we must take courageously, knowing the risks they carry. I choose to open new fields of jobs. It is impossible for us to do those two choices at the same time," Wiranto said.

Unemployment and underemployment are major problems in Indonesia, affecting almost half the 100 million workforce.

The two ex-infantrymen agreed on many issues, including the death penalty for narcotics dealers and civilian supremacy over the military. Indonesia is waging war on drugs while the army was near omnipotent during the Suharto era.

Vice President Hamzah Haz, also seeking the top spot but running a distant last in opinion polls, also took part in the encounter.

Incumbent President Megawati Sukarnoputri and supreme legislature chief Amien Rais faced off in the first debate.

Yudhoyono has led all recent opinion polls by wide margins. Megawati, Wiranto and Rais have been neck and neck for second place.

Although the debates have fallen short of the cross-fire many hoped for, they are still milestones in Indonesia's chaotic transition to democracy since the 1998 fall of autocratic President Suharto amid social unrest. During his 32-year rule, debating issues was taboo even in universities.

If no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the votes in July, the top two go forward to a run-off in September.