Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – The ruling Democratic Party is expected to struggle over the next few years in "grooming" some of its members as potential candidates for the country's top job after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono leaves office in 2014, observers said.
Yudhoyono will end his second term in 2014 and will not be eligible to run again based on the Constitution. Analysts have said that the two-year period would barely be enough for the Democratic Party to raise the stature of its politicians.
The party, which was established in 2001, has significantly relied on the popularity of Yudhoyono for its survival.
"The leadership of the party is now aware that they will run into troubles, especially that they could no longer rally around Yudhoyono," Arya Fernandes, a political observer from Charta Politika Indonesia, said on Tuesday.
Democrat politicians have actually begun to float names of individuals as the party's potential candidates.
Lawmakers Ruhut Sitompul and Mohammad Jafar Hafsah, for example, have acknowledged that the party was now gauging the popularity of several figures such as Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto, Yudhoyono's in-law and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Pramono Edhie Wibowo, House of Representatives Speaker Marzuki Alie and party chairman Anas Urbaningrum.
Iberamsjah, a political expert from the University of Indonesia, said that all the figures were "far below standard".
"Marzuki is notorious for his insistence on constructing a new building for the House. Anas has been frequently seen living a lavish lifestyle, not to mention his alleged involvement in the SEA Games corruption case," he said. "Pramono has yet to show an impressive performance during his military service," Iberamsjah added.
Numerous recent surveys also found the four figures to be far less popular candidates than politicians like the daughter of former president Sukarno, Megawati Soekarnoputri of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), and former Army Strategic Reserves Command chief, Lt. Gen. (ret.) Prabowo Subianto of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra).
"Should this trend not change significantly in the coming years, the most probable scenario for the Democratic Party is to seek a coalition with other parties," Arya said.
Two national figures have already declared their intention to run as presidential candidates in the 2014 elections, Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie and National Mandate Party chairman Hatta Rajasa. Both candidates may win backing from Yudhoyono, Arya said.
Anas Urbaningrum has steadfastly refused to comment on the matter. "As I have said before, our party will not be naming a candidate for the next presidential election any time soon. It is better for us to focus on working hard to win the legislative elections," he said.
Anas also refused to comment on suggestions that his party would be pushed to seek a coalition with other parties given the low popularity of its potential candidates.
In the party's 10th anniversary celebration in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, Yudhoyono hinted that the Democratic Party would nominate a younger presidential candidate, stressing that it was important for all Indonesians to have "equal opportunities" in taking part in the country's politics.
Observers believe that Yudhoyono was referring to the party's two young figures, namely Anas and Youth and Sports Minister Andi Mallarangeng. Both Anas and Andi have been implicated in the high-profile corruption case surrounding the construction of the athlete village for the last SEA Games in Palembang, South Sumatra.