"Therefore it would be better if they give the opportunity to younger figures."Jakarta (ANTARA News) - A national figure has made an appeal to senior politicians in the country to introspect and give an opportunity to the younger generation to run for president in 2014.
"I hope they would hopefully introspect and be willing to give an opportunity to the younger leaders," Taufik Kiemas, the chairman of the People`s Consultative Assembly, said at the parliament building here on Tuesday.
Taufik, who is also the chairman of the advisory board of the Indonesia Democratic Party Struggle (PDIP), said there are a lot of political figures in the parliament worth nominating as presidential candidates.
"They must be given a room and an opportunity by their political parties (to run for president)," he said without mentioning names.
Taufik meanwhile appealed to potential younger political leaders to persuade the senior political leaders who are still ambitious to run for president to drop their intention.
When asked if PDIP chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri who is also his wife would be willing to give an opportunity to the younger candidates Taufik said he believed she would.
"I believe 100 percent she would," he added.
Taufik said he feared if elected the senior leader would later only be asked to step down in the middle of his/her term.
He referred to the cases of presidents from 1966 to 1998 who had been asked to step down because of their old age.
"Therefore it would be better if they give the opportunity to younger figures," he said.
Several senior political leaders have so far expressed their intention to run for president in the presidential election in 2014. including Aburizal Bakrie from Golkar Party, Megawati Soekarnoputri from PDIP and Prabowo Subianto from Gerindra Party.
Current President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono could not by law seek re-election because he will have been in the post for two terms.
(T.R024/KR-BSR/H-YH)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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