Muninggar Sri Saraswati – The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, or PDI-P, says it is breaking new political ground by requiring all of its legislative candidates to stake their right to run again in 2014 on their ability to meet broad development targets if elected this year.

Former President Megawati Sukarnoputri, PDI-P's chairwoman, said during a press conference on Thursday that party members seeking elective office would have to sign a contract that committed them to ensuring affordable basic goods and services, providing millions of job opportunities and improving people's welfare. Failure to meet those goals would mean legislators would not be allowed to run in the 2014 legislative elections.

"The political contract would only be effective if the PDI-P controls the government and the House, meaning that it would happen if the 2009 to 214 president comes from the PDI-P and 30 percent of the House total seats are owned by the PDI-P," said Pramono Anung, the party's secretary general, who read the political contract on behalf of Megawati.

However, it was not clear as to what criteria the party would use to measure legislators' progress toward achieving the goals in the contract.

On the issue of providing affordable basic goods and services, for example, the contract only said that increases in "prices must be done in a way that it would not exceed increases in people's purchasing power," but offered no indication as to how this would be achieved.

Similarly, job creation would be measured by "the total number of jobs set up during the government's five-year tenure from 2009-14." Whether this meant new jobs established or net job creation was left for observers to ponder.

Finally, the vague goal of "improving people's welfare" would be measured on the basis of changes in wealth inequality, and, Pramono said, on "the percentage of economic development," declining to provide further clarification.

The party did not provide set numerical performance measures for its members because "providing affordable basic necessities is linked to people's purchasing power," Megawati said.

"We couldn't say, for example, that a kilogram of chili peppers should be set at Rp 50, because the price would be considered expensive if people's purchasing power is low," she said.

The contract, PDI-P believes, is the first of its kind made by a political party in the country, and "is made to confirm the party's persistent struggle," it said in a statement. PDI-P believes "democracy can not be strong if it stands on a shaky economy," Pramono said.

"The 2009 election will be meaningful only if it leads to a change in the quality of life for the majority of Indonesians. This contract is a politically innovative way to find a solution."

PDI-P garnered 18.5 percent in the 2004 legislative elections, second only to the Golkar Party. PDI-P has endorsed more than 600 candidates for House seats this year.