INDONESIA PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS 2009 - With less than a week before the end of the official election campaign period, presidential hopefuls worked hard on Friday to attract new support.
Megawati Soekarnoputri signed a political contract to revise the Education Entity Law (BHP) during her visit to Sidoarjo, East Java.
The contract was presented to her by a group of students under the Students' Executive Board (BEM), who had also repeatedly asked the government to revoke the controversial law.
The students said the law was a basis for the commercialization of higher education.
Under the contract, the students called on Megawati to revoke Article 53 of the Law on the National Education System, and reject the commercialization of education.
The students also called on Megawati to improve Indonesia's education system.
"The law must be revised to put an end to the commercialization of higher education," Megawati said as quoted by Antara news agency.
Many students with good academic records had failed to continue their education at universities because of high costs, she said.
Megawati also made a visit to in Nganjuk, East Java, to the site of the grave of labor activist Marsinah, who died defending the rights of her fellow workers in 1993.
Also on Friday, Vice President Jusuf Kalla, who is vying for the presidential post, visited several pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) in Tasikmalaya and Ciamis regencies, West Java.
During his visit, Kalla was accompanied by Golkar Party members including Yuddy Chrisnandi in meeting some 5,000 Muslim students, clerics and teachers from five Islamic boarding schools including those from Pesantren Suryalaya in Pageur Ageung and Pesantren Darussalam in Cijantung.
Kalla said he would improve the quality of education at both state and private schools because it was mandated in the 1945 Constitution.
"There is no difference between state and private schools because both aim to sharpen the minds of the nation," he said in his lecture at Latifah Mubarokiyah Islamic Institute in Tasikmalaya.
Kalla also said the economic prosperity of a state depends on the quality of its education system.
"The prosperity of a countries varies according to its education levels. People will prosper if they emphasize the value of the education system," Kalla said.
Kalla and his running mate Wiranto have gained popularity because of their persistence in campaigning for Muslim votes.
Meanwhile, incumbent President Yudhoyono did another tour of media newsrooms on Friday, as well as attending two events in his capacity as President.
After his tour to the newsrooms of Kompas daily and Tempo weekly magazine on Wednesday, Yudhoyono made an early morning visit Friday to the newsroom of Seputar Indonesia daily in Central Jakarta.
He then headed to the Jakarta Convention Center to open the "2009 Indonesian Creative Products Week".
Yudhoyono then visited the newsroom of Republika daily in South Jakarta, where he held a closed-door meeting with the editorial staff lasting more than one hour.
In the afternoon, Yudhoyono attended an event held in recognition of International Anti-Drug Day, during which he called on all parties to fight drug abuse and end drug-related crime.
"We know that four out of every 100 people in the world have become victims *of illicit drugs*, and we must stop this to save our future," Yudhoyono said at Bung Karno Stadium, as reported by Antara.
"Let's take concrete steps to prevent illicit drug crimes."
Narcotics use could be prevented if all people were all involved actively in preventing their children from using drugs, he said.(jp)
Megawati Soekarnoputri signed a political contract to revise the Education Entity Law (BHP) during her visit to Sidoarjo, East Java.
The contract was presented to her by a group of students under the Students' Executive Board (BEM), who had also repeatedly asked the government to revoke the controversial law.
The students said the law was a basis for the commercialization of higher education.
Under the contract, the students called on Megawati to revoke Article 53 of the Law on the National Education System, and reject the commercialization of education.
The students also called on Megawati to improve Indonesia's education system.
"The law must be revised to put an end to the commercialization of higher education," Megawati said as quoted by Antara news agency.
Many students with good academic records had failed to continue their education at universities because of high costs, she said.
Megawati also made a visit to in Nganjuk, East Java, to the site of the grave of labor activist Marsinah, who died defending the rights of her fellow workers in 1993.
Also on Friday, Vice President Jusuf Kalla, who is vying for the presidential post, visited several pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) in Tasikmalaya and Ciamis regencies, West Java.
During his visit, Kalla was accompanied by Golkar Party members including Yuddy Chrisnandi in meeting some 5,000 Muslim students, clerics and teachers from five Islamic boarding schools including those from Pesantren Suryalaya in Pageur Ageung and Pesantren Darussalam in Cijantung.
Kalla said he would improve the quality of education at both state and private schools because it was mandated in the 1945 Constitution.
"There is no difference between state and private schools because both aim to sharpen the minds of the nation," he said in his lecture at Latifah Mubarokiyah Islamic Institute in Tasikmalaya.
Kalla also said the economic prosperity of a state depends on the quality of its education system.
"The prosperity of a countries varies according to its education levels. People will prosper if they emphasize the value of the education system," Kalla said.
Kalla and his running mate Wiranto have gained popularity because of their persistence in campaigning for Muslim votes.
Meanwhile, incumbent President Yudhoyono did another tour of media newsrooms on Friday, as well as attending two events in his capacity as President.
After his tour to the newsrooms of Kompas daily and Tempo weekly magazine on Wednesday, Yudhoyono made an early morning visit Friday to the newsroom of Seputar Indonesia daily in Central Jakarta.
He then headed to the Jakarta Convention Center to open the "2009 Indonesian Creative Products Week".
Yudhoyono then visited the newsroom of Republika daily in South Jakarta, where he held a closed-door meeting with the editorial staff lasting more than one hour.
In the afternoon, Yudhoyono attended an event held in recognition of International Anti-Drug Day, during which he called on all parties to fight drug abuse and end drug-related crime.
"We know that four out of every 100 people in the world have become victims *of illicit drugs*, and we must stop this to save our future," Yudhoyono said at Bung Karno Stadium, as reported by Antara.
"Let's take concrete steps to prevent illicit drug crimes."
Narcotics use could be prevented if all people were all involved actively in preventing their children from using drugs, he said.(jp)
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