Jakarta, April 27 (Antara) - The Democrat Party (PD) concluded here on
Sunday its presidential candidate convention for 11 participants who
would be selected as the ruling party's presidential candidate in next
July 9 presidential elections.
The convention debate which was held at Sahid Hotel in Jakarta was
closed by PD General Chairman Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is also the
chairman of the party's Supreme Council.
The eleven participants of the convention will further be assessed by
three survey institutes to find who among the participants has the
highest electability. The Democratic Party has hired three survey
institutes which will begin to work on Monday (April 28).
PD Chairman Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) said it was the people who
would decide the winner of the convention. "The one who will decide the
winner is not SBY, neither is the Supreme Council but by the people,"
Yudhoyono said when closing the convention.
He said that through debates in the convention, the 11 participants had
revealed their ideas, solutions and policies regarding problems facing
the nation.
"If the people follow the lines of their ideas, they will not make any
mistake in deciding their choices," Yudhoyono who is also the Indonesian
President, said.
The survey institutes will begin working on Monday, April 28, 2014.
They will present the result of their surveys to the convention
committee.
Secretary General of the convention committee, Suaidi Marasabessy, has
said that the results of the convention would be later submitted to
Yudhoyono as chairman of the party's Supreme Council on May 15.
The eleven figures who have taken part in the Democrat Party's
convention are State Audit Board member Ali Masykur Musa, university
rector Anis Baswedan, state enterprises minister Dahlan Iskan, former
ambassador Dino Patti Djalal, former military chief Endriartono Sutarto,
former trade minister Gita Wiryawan, former minister Hayono Isman,
chairman of the Regional Representatives Council Irman Gusman, house
speaker Marzuki Alie, former army chief of staff Pramono Edhie Wibowo
and North Sulawesi provincial governor Sinyo Harry Sarundajang.
During the last debate, contestants in the convention focused on how to
increase economic growth, eliminate unemployment or poverty and build
the country's food resilience.
At the last debate, Anies Bawedan said that in order to eliminate
poverty, the government should change its poverty eradication concept
and focus on improving the welfare of the people.
"The concept on poverty eradication must now be changed. It should not
focus on reducing the poverty rate but on increasing the number of
prosperous people," Anies Baswedan said.
He said that with the increase in the number of prosperous people,
poverty will automatically disappear. One of the ways how to improve the
people's welfare is to assist the poor with subsidized assistance
programs.
"The subsidized assistance programs should be followed with providing
education and skill training," he said stressing the importance for the
government to ensure that the subsidized programs would reach all
Indonesian people.
In order to eliminate poverty and unemployment, Dino Patti Djalal said
meanwhile that the government should make it easy for people to do
business in the country.
The growth of business activities will eliminate poverty and
unemployment. He has earlier expressed his view in a written statement
that whoever is elected president this year should continue the
pro-people programs laid down by the government of President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono.
"Whoever elected president will need to pay
attention to the corner stone that had been laid down by the government
of President Yudhoyono," Dino said.
Dino who made the statement in press released said that it was
important for the next government to maintain the continuation of
development, particularly the pro-people policies.
In his visits to 30 cities where he directly communicated with the
people over the past three months, Dino said he found that the people
consistently voiced their aspirations on the pro-people programs.
"They want that the pro-people program to be continued. They are afraid
if the government discontinued the polices," he said.
"I understand this as a voice of their honest aspirations," Dino, who
is also a former Indonesian ambassador to the United States, said.
The pro-people programs included education improvement scheme,
smallholders credit scheme (KUR), school operational assistance (BOS),
rice for the poor scheme (Raskin), national program for people
empowerment (PNPM), rural agribusiness development program (PUAP),
rural infrastructure development program (PPIP), village fish pond
development program (PUMP) and health insurance scheme (Jamkesmas).
In the meantime, the other convention participant Dahlan Iskan said
that poverty in the country was the most urgent problem to be overcome
owing to the fact that poverty now had been mixed up with injustices.
"In the past, I was poor and all fellow residents in one village were
also poor. Now, there are poor people who can see in their surrounding
luxury cars. This actually reflects injustices," he said.
Therefore, Dahlan reaffirmed his proposal that the social affairs
minister should be given a special assignment to fight poverty without
any other unessential tasks.
"The social affairs minister should focus on handling the poor. There
is no need for him or her to handle 'draws with prizes'," he said,
jokingly.
Other convention contestants focused a spotlight on the need to develop
the agricultural sector in the efforts to fight poverty and
unemployment.
"Ahead, youngsters must be encouraged to work in the agricultural
sector," Hayono Isman said. He said the manpower and transmigration
ministry must offer lots of training to inject skills to youngsters
based on their respective fields
The other convention
participant, Ali Masykur Musa, also shared the view that the
agricultural sector must be developed to improve people's welfare.
Future leaders must be able to improve the people's prosperity through
the cultivation of agricultural sector.
"Some 35 to 40 million people in Indonesia earn a living in the
agricultural sector. Agricultural subsidy must therefore be increased
significantly. The present subsidy of about Rp16-Rp17 trillion is not
enough," Ali Masykur Musa said.
He said that agricultural subsidy could be increased by diverting fuel
subsidies to the agricultural sector. "Fuel subsidy is only consumed by
luxury cars. It had better to be diverted to the agricultural sector,"
Ali said.
The same voice was also raised by Irman Gusman and Dahlan Iskan who
supported the idea that the agricultural sector should be cultivated to
resolve unemployment and poverty problems.***1***
(T.A014/b003/B003)
(T.A014/A/A. Abdussalam/Bustanuddin) 27-04-2014 |
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