PKS coalition with Democrat not forever

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The chief patron of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), KH Hilmi Aminuddin, said the permanent coalition the party had built with the ruling Democrat Party would not be forever.

"According to the law, a president in Indonesia may only govern for two terms and therefore PKS` coalition with the Democrat Party to support the government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will also last for only two terms of the present government," he told newsmen at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, the venue of am ongoing PKS` congress.

Hilmi said Yudhoyono offered a permanent coalition between his Democrat Party and PKS before he was elected president for the second time in 1999.

At the opening of the PKS` congres on Thursday, Hilmi said he had only reminded President Yudhoyono about his offer for permanent coalition and this was welcomed by the PKS.

For PKS, he said, what mattered was not whether the coalition would satisfy party board members but if it would benefit the people.

"We think the permanent coalition will be of much benefit to the people and therefore PKS supports the government through the coaltiion," he said.

He said the participation of PKS in the coalition`s joint secretariat was the implementation of the political contract made by coalition parties with President Yudhoyono.

The coalition that PKS had joined was a coalition of pro-reform parties, he said.

"God willing, the coalition will grow in strength. The coalition has worked in detail outlining what has to be done to develop the nation. So people should not be worried that it will become a political cartel because it will not," he said.(*)

Source:
http://gresnews.com/ch/News-En/cl/President+Yudhoyono/id/105579/PKS++coalition+with+Democrat+party+not+forever

US Ambassador to speak at PKS seminar

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - US Ambassador to Indonesia Cameron R Hume will be a speaker at an international seminar held as part of the National Congress of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

The secretary of the PKS`s National Consultative Committee, Widiana Yudi, said here on Saturday the international seminar themed "American Views About Islam: Reflections on Obama`s speech on Islam in Cairo," was to take place at the Ritz Carlton Hotel on Saturday.

Yudi Widiana explained PKS wanted to elaborate on the views of the United States about the Islamic world as presented by US President Barack Obama in a speech in Cairo, Egypt, some time ago.

Other speakers apart from the United States Ambassador would be an observer of Indonesian problems, Professor Greg Fealy, and associate chairman of PKS Kemal Azis Stamboel.

The seminar would also be addressed by a member of the British Parliament from the Labour Party, Lord Adam Patel.

Mahfudz Sidiq, another PKS associate chairman, said the party had invited foreign speakers to the seminar to give PKS cadres wider perspectives on the West`s views on the Islamic world.

He said PKS from now ahead to position itself as an open party so that it should give its cadres ne insights.

The PKS National Congress is being attended by about 2,000 people.

Source:
http://gresnews.com/ch/News-En/cl/Ambassador/id/105567/US+Ambassador+to+speak+at+PKS+seminar

Why Not Be A Political Consultant?

I've just read an article about political cosultants in Indonesia on Kompas newspaper today (June 14, 2010). A political consultant is a person or an institution that creates certain images of political candidates to attract voters in elections, be it national, provincial or regency.

Efforts a political consultant conducts to boost up votes:

1. Mapping votes by preliminary survey, focus group discussion, media discourse analysis

2. Influencing voters through advertising (televisions, radios, newspapers), non-media advertising (banners, pamphlets), socializations and empowerment programs

3. Monitoring voters by campaigners' training and figure recruitment; training for election witnesses in order to be militant in balloting places; conducting quick count survey.

The cost to use the service of political consultants varies in accordance with different purposes. it costs candidates Rp 100 - 500 million to conduct only preliminary survey for election on regency level, which depends on the locations. the further the location (i.e. outside Java island), the higher the cost. National preliminary survey costs Rp 400 million to 2 billion.

Political advertising for governorial election costs candidates 1 - 5 billion rupiahs per month while presidential campaign through advertising costs candidates 5 - 10 billion rupiahs per month.

The most shocking fact is, for governorial election, one candidate should spend 20 billion rupiahs for political consultants to create and boost up his/her images, while presidential condidates 30 billion rupiahs.

Surprised? Well, you should be. The negative impact is how should we ask their integrity while they are in power when a political campaign costs candidates so much?

But, the positive side is to become a political consultant is a business opportunity. There are only three prominent institutions providing the service: Lingkaran Survey Indonesia led by Denny JA (http://www.lsi.co.id/), Fox Indonesia founded by Rizal Malarangeng (http://www.foxindonesia.co.id/) and Pol Mark Indonesia founded by Eep Saefulloh Fatah and Charta Politika led by Ir Luvie Triadi (previously, Bima Arya Sugiarto) (www.chartapolitika.com). I always prefer the positive side and I believe you do. Why do we not learn anything about political consultant and be one of them? We still have 4 years to election day 2014. Who knows we might be rich :)