Candidates, teams gear up for Sept. 20 election runoff<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Presidential candidates and their campaign teams made use of the
\nextended holiday to solicit grassroots support ahead of the
\nrunoff, which will take place in a week.<\/p>\n
Golkar Party leader Akbar Tandjung reminded all the eight
\npolitical parties grouped under the Nationhood Coalition on
\nMonday, to use whatever means within the remaining week to ensure
\npresidential candidate Megawati Soekarnoputri and her running
\nmate Hasyim Muzadi collected more votes than their contenders.<\/p>\n
\"We have to go all out using our political machines to lure
\npeople's support. Without grassroots support political parties
\ncannot survive,\" Akbar told supporters of the parties in Bandung
\non Monday.<\/p>\n
According to Akbar, if the parties's political machines
\nworked, Megawati could garner about 55 percent of the vote to
\nsecure the presidency.<\/p>\n
The government declared Sept. 13 a holiday, to observe the
\nAscension Day of Prophet Muhammad, which fell on Sept. 12 this
\nyear.<\/p>\n
Earlier on Sunday, Megawati inaugurated Agro Nur El-Falaq
\nIslamic boarding school in Pulutan village in the Central Java
\ntown of Salatiga. Speaking to thousands of people, she said, if
\nshe was given another mandate, she would focus on the development
\nof agribusiness and fisheries.<\/p>\n
Among state officials accompanying her were Minister of
\nIndustry and Trade Rini M.S. Soewandi, Minister of Health Achmad
\nSujudi, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Rokhmin Dahuri
\nand Central Java Governor Mardiyanto.<\/p>\n
While Megawati was delivering her speech, her supporters
\ndistributed hundreds of postcards displaying the president with
\nrefugees of the sectarian conflict in Sampit, West Kalimantan.
\nThe other side of the postcard contains the five main programs of
\nthe Megawati-Hasyim ticket.<\/p>\n
Salatiga Police detective chief Adj. Comr. Bambang Sutanto
\nimmediately dispatched his personnel to seize the postcards and
\npromised to report the case to the local election supervisory
\ncommission.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Megawati's rival in the runoff, Susilo Bambang
\nYudhoyono, installed on Monday about 26,000 volunteers who would
\nwitness all polling stations across Jakarta on behalf of Susilo
\nand his running mate Jusuf Kalla.<\/p>\n
Susilo urged the volunteers to report any violations that they
\nobserved at polling stations, to prevent cases of vote rigging.<\/p>\n
Accompanied by National Awakening Party (PKB) chairman Alwi
\nShihab and deputy chairman Mahfud M.D., Nahdlatul Ulama (NU)
\nyouth figure Syaifullah Yusuf and Zanuba Arifah Chafsoh Rahman, a
\ndaughter of PKB patron Abdurrahman \"Gus Dur\" Wahid, Susilo also
\nattended a function at the Al Fatah Islamic boarding school in
\nhis hometown of Pacitan in East Java on Saturday.<\/p>\n
The PKB and NU figures called on hundreds of NU supporters to
\nexercise their wisdom and choose \"a leader who manages to create
\na better Indonesia.\"<\/p>\n
\"Gus Dur has said he will not exercise his right to vote in
\nthe election runoff. He, however, has asked us (PKB executives)
\nto support Pak Susilo because he (Susilo) promises to bring
\nreform for a better Indonesia,\" Mahfud said.<\/p>\n
Susilo asked state officials and state institutions to remain
\nneutral, and refrain from interfering with the political rights
\nof the people in the runoff, for the sake of democracy.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/candidates-teams-gear-up-for-sept-20-election-runoff-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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