Your letters: Can the Democratic Party be restored?

Paper Edition | Page: 8

Although Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman Abraham Samad seems to be keeping the details of the sports center investigation under wraps for now, Democratic Party chairman Anas Urbaningrum may be in the firing line due to his alleged involvement.

Indeed, Anas’ life could be said to have been a huge saga from the moment he stepped into politics in 1997 as chairman of the Islamic Students Association.

His downfall may come sooner than we think. So who shall step up to be the party’s knight in shining armor if all else fails?

Numbers are low and competition is tough. While major parties such as the Golkar Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) appear to be readying themselves for next year’s elections, the Democratic Party is almost in ruins, crumbling like an ancient dynasty.

 “The last survey showed the Democratic Party’s declining popularity. Some party members told me this is the time for emergency assistance from myself,” said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as he addressed Indonesian journalists during his visit to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Even if some party members are confident that the President can swoop to the rescue, will it still be enough to restore the Democratic Party to its presumed golden years?

Yudhoyono should give serious though to whether he is willing to take on this task. His intervention might be able to patch up some of the damage to the party, but how will he divide his time between assisting the party and running the country?

With poverty, corruption and a plan to modernize transportation in Jakarta, the country needs a leader now more than ever.

Raafi Seiff
Jakarta