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JAKARTA: POLITICS is increasingly a family affair in Indonesia, judging by the lists of candidates set to run in next year's legislative elections.
The sons and daughters of current leaders feature prominently among the names political parties submitted to the General Election Commission (KPU) this week.
Among them are Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's son Edhie Baskoro, a 28-year-old graduate of Singapore's Nanyang Technological University, who is being fielded by the Democrat Party (PD) his father founded.
Former president Megawati Sukarnoputri's daughter Puan Maharani, 35, is also running, as a candidate for her mother's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
Ms Megawati named her as her successor at a political rally last month, urging her supporters to rally behind the younger woman at next April's legislative elections.
Within Golkar, sons of several party leaders have been put forward, among them 28-year-old Dave Laksono, son of Golkar deputy chairman and Parliament Speaker Agung Laksono, and Mr Pazwan Kusumadinata, 27-year-old son of Golkar deputy secretary-general Rully Azwar.
Political dynasties are not new in Indonesia as children or relatives of big players have been active on the political scene for some time.
The daughter of Indonesia's first president, Ms Megawati Sukarnoputri rose through the ranks of the PDI-P, the successor of Sukarno's Nationalist Party (PNI), to become president herself.
Even Ms Meutia Hatta, the daughter of Indonesia's first vice-president Muhammad Hatta, has her own party pledged to continuing her father's work and is now a minister in Dr Yudhoyono's Cabinet.
But analysts say the current trend of placing children of active and serving political leaders in key roles reflects the influence and power of the big players.
Mr Arbi Sanit of the University of Indonesia said that children who grew up in political families were more likely to be politicised from an early age and had access to a good education.
'Hence, it's not unusual that they choose to enter politics. But there is still an issue as to whether they have the capacity to lead,' he added.
He also agreed that their induction could be seen as nepotism and a cynical manoeuvre by their parents who want to hold onto at least some of their power after the Constitution forces them to step aside when they have served two terms.
Other analysts say that the budding politicians have been encouraged to enter politics by their parents because a seat in Parliament pays a handsome salary in a country where not enough jobs are created for graduates.
An MP draws a salary of 25 million rupiah (S$3,800) a month, compared to the 9 million a professional working for a big company could expect.
As one observer put it: 'These days, it's very difficult to get a job...and being an MP is a lucrative job.'
But either way, political commentator Fachri Ali warned that giving priority to the big players' children risks damaging party morale if it means that other hard-working party members see their chances of becoming candidates dashed.
The parties, and the candidates themselves, however, claim it is simply a matter of finding the best people for the job.
PD stalwart Sutan Bhatoegana, for example, says Mr Edhie was chosen not because he is the President's son, but because 'he is a young and intelligent cadre whom we have groomed'.
He added that Mr Edhie, who heads the party's Jakarta chapter, also has impressive academic credentials, holding a business degree from an Australian university as well as a master's from Singapore's NTU.
Meanwhile, Golkar's Mr Laksono, a businessman with a degree in political science and a master's in public policy from an American university, said he wanted to become an MP because 'politics is my calling'.
'I think with my knowledge, I can partake and help make democracy work in the country.'
Read also: An early start with VIP parents
