IS there anything of interest anymore in the coming presidential elections? The presidential and vice-presidential debates were lifeless. The three presidential candidates, as well as their running mates, might as well be carrying out a monologue rather than a dialog, let alone a captivating debate.

Explanation of visions and missions became a platform to air their campaign promises. The open-air rallies have not drawn the masses as predicted, except when a dangdut (popular local music) singer is scheduled to perform on stage.

The pamphlets, television adverts and war of words in the media are good only for lunchtime conversations and discarded. A week prior to polling day on July 8, politics does indeed seem to have lost its dazzle.

Yet, politics with a small “p” can be seen as a symbol of pragmatism and a power contest. Politics is also about regulations, and separation of powers in the interest of the public. Politics with a big “P” represents the ideals of reformasi or the reform movement that began 11 years ago.

It was for this reason that Tempo felt a belated need to produce a special edition on the elections—something that has become a five-yearly tradition. It is not aimed to undermine the “festival of democracy” as the elections are known, but rather to provide essential information to voters before they go to the voting booth.

But a problem emerged: what do voters need—something that is not cliché, that would not cause people to reduce politics from the big “P” to the little “p”?

Five years ago we mapped out the profiles of people within the periphery of the presidential candidates. The idea was simple: throughout the history of the Republic, the pros and the cons of a president have often been determined by the “innuendos” and “behavior” of their associates. People hoped that from the modern-day punggawa (court officials in a Javanese shadow play) in the inner circle, prospective voters would be able to distinguish between the angels and the demons who hover around prospective leaders. In the run-up to the legislative elections last April, we traced the genealogy of the political parties.

We also did not want to simply “warm up yesterday’s rice”—that is, repeat an idea, rehash it again, and serve it up as tasteless food. We realized that the word “news,” something we wrestle with every day, contains the word “new” or newness. And as a news magazine, newness also means being astute in choosing a point of view.

Through a series of discussions, we arrived at one viewpoint, our focus would be on the past lives of the six candidates. Not just a cursory look into the past, but the formative years when their characters and potential leadership qualities were shaped.

The periods covered varied. We considered it necessary, for example, to delve into the past of Megawati Soekarnoputri, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) presidential candidate, when she lived at the Palace as the President’s daughter. We believe that was the period when she felt the bitter-sweet taste of power—something that she once experienced and perhaps will again.

We traced Prabowo Subianto’s past from the time he was a child on the run, along with members of the rebellious PRRI/Permesta government exiled overseas. In the 1950s, Prabowo’s father, Sumitro Djojohadikusumo, was an important leader in this movement. It was during this period that Prabowo’s character was shaped. A number of sources related how Prabowo liked boxing and was fond of the military world in his youth. His temper, his lack of patience and his ambition were shaped during this period.

Wiranto, the vice-presidential candidate from the People’s Conscience Party (Hanura), has been in the news since he became former President Suharto’s aide.

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s past was traced from the time he attended school in Pacitan. His parents’ divorce also proved to have influenced his personality.

With this viewpoint as our objective, several stories had to be discarded, not because they were unimportant, but rather because we did not want to sacrifice a certain angle. For example we had to keep back the story about the abduction of activists in 1998, a dark tale that implicates the name of Prabowo Subianto. We were also forced to put a lid on stories about Wiranto’s role in the Semanggi affair (the fatal shooting of student demonstrators in 1998 and 1999) and the scorched earth policy in East Timor in 1999.

Indeed, life offers us a million choices. This time, we chose a series of stories that may, hopefully, prove useful when you make that fateful choice of a leader on July 8.