Cak Nur strongest challenger to Mega in 2004<\/p>\n
A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Noted scholar Nurcholish Madjid will pose the strongest challenge
\nto President Megawati Soekarnoputri in the 2004 election, a
\nsurvey says.<\/p>\n
More than 28 percent of 10,000 people surveyed from July 4
\nthrough July 14 picked Nurcholish, popularly known as Cak Nur, as
\nthe only candidate that could challenge Megawati when the country
\nholds its first ever direct presidential election next year.<\/p>\n
Two other politicians trailed behind Cak Nur -- Yogyakarta
\nGovernor Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X and People's Consultative
\nAssembly (MPR) Speaker Amien Rais, who is also chairman of the
\nNational Mandate Party (PAN).<\/p>\n
"Nurcholish and Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono have captured the
\npublic's trust and are Megawati's two strongest challengers,"
\nsaid the survey, which was made public on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The survey was held in 19 municipalities and 14 regencies in
\n15 provinces across the country. The total number of respondents
\nwas 10,000, and they were questioned using the purposive random
\nsampling method.<\/p>\n
Similar numbers of male and female respondents were
\nquestioned, with women representing 48.51 percent of the
\nrespondents.<\/p>\n
The youngest respondent was 17 years old, while the oldest was
\n50. The occupations of the respondents varied, and they included
\nprivate sector employees, students, entrepreneurs, housewives,
\nblue collar workers, civil servants, members of the Indonesian
\nMilitary and police, lecturers, farmers, fishermen and others.<\/p>\n
The educational levels of the respondents also varied, and
\nthey ranged from elementary school up to university level
\ngraduates.<\/p>\n
Cak Nur, who is considering standing in Golkar's ongoing
\nconvention to select its presidential candidate, was chosen by
\n2,828 of the 10,000 respondents, while Sri Sultan received 2,436
\nvotes.<\/p>\n
These two figures were selected on account of their perceived
\nvirtues. Nurcholish, who is also the rector of the Jakarta-based
\nParamadina University, has long been known for his clarity of
\nvision and morality, while Sri Sultan has inherited the charisma
\nof his legendary father Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX, an
\nexemplary ruler of Yogyakarta and an independence fighter.<\/p>\n
"The preferences given to these two gives a signal that the
\npublic are longing to see the emergence of new faces on the
\nnational political stage," said the survey.<\/p>\n
The survey also showed that Amien Rais, who received the
\npreferences of 1,971, or 19.71 percent, of the respondents, came
\nin third place.<\/p>\n
However, Amien, a former chairman of the country's second
\nlargest Muslim organization, Muhammadiyah, may become a dark
\nhorse challenger for both Cak Nur and Sri Sultan as he is the
\nmost active politician trying to solicit support from public,
\nsaid the survey.<\/p>\n
Picking the right vice presidential candidate, however, could
\nhelp Megawati sideline her rivals in the presidential election,
\nscheduled to be held between June and August, 2003.<\/p>\n
In order to hang on to office, Megawati is advised to choose
\nCoordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo
\nBambang Yudhoyono as her vice presidential running mate in 2004.<\/p>\n
Susilo, a retired four-star Army general, received 22.56
\npercent of the preferences as Megawati's running mate. Another
\nfigure was Jusuf Kalla, who got 13.45 percent of the vote. Kalla
\ncould help Megawati obtain votes from the islands outside of
\nJava.<\/p>\n
The survey was conducted by Soegeng Sarjadi Syndicated, which
\ndescribes itself as a non-profit organization devoted to
\npromoting democracy.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, political analyst J. Kristiadi said after the
\nannouncement of the survey results that the strongest challenge
\nto Megawati actually came from within her own party. Megawati was
\nnow facing internal problems in her party, as shown by widening
\ncracks in several provinces, said Kristiadi, from the Center for
\nStrategic and International Studies (CSIS).<\/p>\n
Several gubernatorial candidates from Megawati's Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) have ignored
\nMegawati's orders to withdraw from the gubernatorial elections in
\ntheir respective provinces, signaling difficulties within the
\nparty that could affect Megawati's popularity in the next
\nelection.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/cak-nur-strongest-challenger-to-mega-in-2004-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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