by Ali Syarief
Even though the name of SBY still commands high respect it is not possible for him to be elected President for the third time because of the provisibns of the Constitution. Therefore our question is Who will replace him in the forthcoming 2014 Presidential Election? What is clear is that all the stakeholders (shareholders), by that I mean the political parties, are already taking the necessary steps to groom their candidates. But it is quite clear that whoever is selected by the parties to step forward on to the national stage remaims an old tired face. And in my opinion, besides not being an attractive proposition, this will give rise to a number of problems in the future.
There are two major figures who, in my opinion, appear to be the most attractive candidates for the 2014 Election. They are Ibu Ani Yudoyono and Ibu Sri Mulyani. Why attractive? Ibu Ani cannot be beaten in popularity by any candidate from any other party. In addition to being constantly in the company of SBY to the extent that she remains very popular,she has the support of coalition parties and can indeed mobilize their support. This is the utmost political capital.
It is another story if Sri Mulyani is prepared to enter into the 2014 political arena. This would be a very attractive/interesting story and would herald a new chapter in the constellation/chessboard of Indonesian political history. Not only because she is an Intellectual who is highly skilled in and has the capacity to take advantage of and use effectively opportunities in her field as they arise, often to the detriment of her own career. All of this will give her a tremendous boost as happened in the case of SBY previously who won the support and encouragement of PDI-P. And her presence in the political arena, based on our calculations, will encounter the same success as Obama in his Presidential campaign. This will reverberate strongly and result in the support of the People snowballingl in her support.
Who would be the ideal running partner as Vice-President for Sri Mulyani? Who,if not, Marty Natalegawa! A young person with an international profile!
Other candidates such Abu Rizal Bakrie would find it difficult to gain popular support because of various problems and issues we all know about. Probowo also has personal problems which cause the People to be unsympathetic to his candidacy. Mahfud MD is an attractive candidate but to a limited group of people.
There are a number of political commentators on these matters/issues among them Arbi Sanit, .A Rachman Tolleng, Adzanta Bilhaq, Sri Indahwati, Lynda Ibrahim, Sondaryani, Vagher dan Sonny Tan serta and Sony Tan, together with Wimar Witoelar.
All of thiese matters/issues, according to Arbi, emerge as a reaction to the very deep concern which has arisen concerning the political crisis and the leadership. According to Arbi Sri Mulyani is the inspiration behind all this because she can be the solution to all of this accumulated concern. "From all the candidates most of whom fulfil the necessary criteria only in a limited way, Sri Mulyani stands out as the most suitable candidate," states Arbi in a political speech he delivered at the Declaration Ceremony on Justice of the SMI at Rumah Integritas (the Integrity Building), Menteng, Jakarta Pusat, Monday (14/2).
