By Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, May 18 (ANTARA) - After they registered at the General Elections Commission (KPU) on Saturday (May 16, 2009), there are now three official pairs of presidential and vice presidential candidates who are ready to compete in the upcoming presidential race on July 8, 2009.
The first pair to register was JK-WIN, or incumbent vice president Jusuf Kalla with his running mate Wiranto, who is chairman of the People's Conscience Party (Hanura).
Coming to the KPU to register after the JK-WIN was Mega-Pro pair, which is a combination of Megawati Soekarnoputri, chairperson of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) and Prabowo Subianto, chairman of the Greater Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra).
The last to register on the same day was SBY-Berboedi, which saw incumbent president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to pair up with Boediono, who is the central bank governor.
Observers viewed the SBY-Berboedi pair will pursue liberal economic policies. Boediono was believed by the public as a noted neo-lib economist, thus facing strong resistance, though Boediono denied this.
On the other hand, the Mega-Pro pair is seen by the public as a pair who would pursue pro-people economic policies, orienting its economic development to micro-economic businesses for improving the welfare of farmers and fisherman.
In the middle of the two is the JK-WIN pair who will pursue pro-people economic policies but would not be too protective to liberal economy.
However, economic observer FX Sugianto of the Diponegoro University in Semarang said recently that Indonesia's economic policies would unlikely change significantly in the next government, no matter who would govern.
"In the upcoming presidential race, candidates like Yudhoyono, Kalla and Subianto are keys to economic policy making. Kalla is likely to continue his more-or-less liberal economic policy while Yudhoyono and Subianto actually shared the view of developing pro-people economy," he said.
In the meantime, economic analyst Aviliani said that incumbent president Yudhoyono has so far not yet reflected his economic policy in the country's micro economic development.
"This is because the government has to carry out laws that were drafted in line with the policies of the International Monetary Funds (IMF)," Aviliani said in a talk-show with TVone on Monday.
According to FX Sugianto, If Yudhoyono is re-elected, the economic policies he will take will not change. Most likely he will focus on the development of micro-small and medium scale businesses and on the agriculture.
In the meantime, even though he is only a vice president if elected, Prabowo Subianto will play important roles in making and in implementing economic policies. "If he is elected to the vice presidency, he will act as the key player in directing the economic policies which would be implemented, particularly the economic programs he had offered during the elections campaigns," Sugianto said.
During the legislative election campaigns, Prabowo Subianto offered pro-people economic concepts.
Sugianto said that basically the economic concepts of Yudhoyono and Prabowo Subianto did not differ too much. "They both supported the people's economy and have greater intention to the agricultural sector," he said.
He said it seemed that Subianto and Yudhoyono would optimize the domestic market so that the two would not have too much difference with regard to the economic development at home.
However, when it comes to matters on foreign economic polices the two would show different policies. Subianto tended to adopt extreme steps in avoiding foreign influence. "Subianto will face a strong 'stream' because so far Indonesia adopted economic policies which are not too different from the liberal international economic policies," he said.
In the meantime, the direction of the economy under Kalla who is current vice president, could now be seen, and if elected president in the coming presidential polls the economic policies he would take would unlikely change either. "Kalla tended to adopt economic policies which are liberal in nature," Sugianto said.
He said that Kalla's character as a businessman would influence the economic policies he was adopting. "Kalla's economic policies tend to take side with big businesses and his influence in taking the economic policies would be greater than his running mate Wiranto," he added.
But according to Aviliani, with Boediono as his running mate, Yudhoyono tended to develop macro and liberal economic policies. This is partly because a number of laws on economy were drafted in line with the directions of IMF. In the meantime, Kalla would pursue an economic policy line between that of Yudhoyono (liberal) and of Subianto (focused on people economy).
Boediono who was picked by Yudhoyono as his running mate was opposed by certain quarters as he was seen as neo-lib economist. According to San Afri Awang, chief of the People's Economic Study Center of the Gajah Mada University, SBY needed Boediono's thoughts to contribute to the government economy.
"Yudhoyono considers Boediono as a person who is able to provide thoughts in the development of Indonesia economy that would bring Indonesia to regaining its reliant and sovereign economy," Awang said.
Therefore, the groups of people who disliked Boediono should press him to develop economy which was pro to the people, he added. ***1*** (T.A014/A/HAJM/A/E002) (T.A014/A/A014/A/E002) 18-05-2009 22:07:39
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