Mahfud MD backs SBY’s ‘primary’ system for 2014

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | National | Mon, April 08 2013, 1:43 PM

Former Constitutional Court chief justice Mahfud MD is praising Democratic Party chairman Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s plan to hold a primary election to select a presidential candidate for 2014.

“Candidate selection done through the primary process is a good thing from a democratic point of view, because it opposes oligarchical practices,” Mahfud said on Monday as quoted by Antara news agency.

Introducing a primary system, wherein the party’s rank-and-file would select a candidate for the party to nominate for president in the general election, would open up a blockade that has kept the best qualified people from seeking high office, Mahfud said.

Mahfud, who declined answer when asked if his own presidential ambitions would get a boost from a party primary, said that such a system should be introduced by all political parties to better reflect grass roots aspirations. (asw/ebf)