Crowd boos Mega miscue in Mataram<\/p>\n
Trisna Wahyuni\/Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post,
\nMataram\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Who says Indonesian voters are not educated or mature enough to
\nbe able to distinguish what is right and what is wrong?<\/p>\n
Thousands of people in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) booed
\npresidential candidate Megawati Soekarnoputri Saturday when she
\nerroneously mentioned that Lombok was part of East Nusa Tenggara
\n(NTT) province.<\/p>\n
\"Thank you very much. I'm very happy to come to Lombok
\nin...(long pause)...East Nusa Tenggara,\" Megawati said with
\nconfidence at the beginning of her campaign speech, to which the
\naudience responded by booing.<\/p>\n
Apparently, Megawati did not hear the whispers of her aides
\naround her who told her that Lombok was located in NTB. She did
\nnot correct herself.<\/p>\n
Megawati, the incumbent President, was accompanied by and
\nentourage that included daughter Puan Maharani and Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) executive Pramono Anung.<\/p>\n
In her speech, Megawati mostly focused on farmers urging them
\nto do careful market research.<\/p>\n
From Mataram, Megawati and her group flew to Kupang, NTT for
\nanother campaign stop.<\/p>\n
A similar blunder for the Megawati camp took place there,
\nwhere campaign rally participants shouted in protest when the
\nleader of the Prosperous Peace Party (PDS), Ruyandi Hutasoit,
\nincorrectly stated that Megawati's running mate was Hamzah Haz.<\/p>\n
\"Let's all support the Mega-Hamzah pairing for our president
\nand vice president,\" said Ruyandi, to which the audience shouted
\nin protest, Antara reported.<\/p>\n
Unlike Megawati, however, Ruyandi rectified his mistake by
\nsaying: \"Let us support the Mega-Hasyim pairing as president and
\nvice president.\"<\/p>\n
Hamzah Haz is Megawati's current vice president and is running
\nfor president after being nominated by the party he leads, the
\nUnited Development Party (PPP).<\/p>\n
Aside from Megawati and Hamzah, other candidates in the July 5
\ndirect presidential election are Wiranto of the Golkar Party,
\nAmien Rais of the National Mandate Party (PAN) and frontrunner
\nSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono of the Democratic Party.<\/p>\n
Amien and running mate Siswono Yudohusodo visited troubled
\nAceh amid tight security on Saturday for a number of campaign
\nstops.<\/p>\n
They were accompanied by Amien's campaign team members
\nincluding campaign manager Bambang Sudibyo, PAN secretary-general
\nHatta Rajasa, PAN deputy leader A.M. Fatwa, Reform Star Party
\n(PBR) leader Zainuddin MZ, Socialist Democratic Labor Party
\nleader Mochtar Pakpahan and Freedom Bull National Party leader
\nEros Djarot.<\/p>\n
Amien and Siswono visited a traditional Aceh market and had
\nlunch with local pedicab drivers. At Bathoh Muhammadiyah
\nUniversity, Amien delivered a speech on cultural values.<\/p>\n
Wiranto, meanwhile, held a series of campaign rallies in West
\nJava. He was accompanied by his wife Rugaiya Usman and Golkar
\nleader Akbar Tandjung.<\/p>\n
Akbar, who lost to Wiranto at the party's presidential
\nconvention in April, commanded all party members to vote for the
\nWiranto and his running mate Solahuddin Wahid.<\/p>\n
\"I order all Golkar organizers in West Java to support Wiranto
\nand Solahuddin Wahid,\" Akbar said in Bandung, West Java.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, Susilo visited a public market and a bus station
\nin North Jakarta and asked several questions to people about
\ntheir problems in life, in a relatively quiet setting without the
\nhuge crowds.<\/p>\n
Susilo's running mate, wealthy businessman and former Golkar
\npresidential candidate Jusuf Kalla, made a campaign stop in
\nSamarinda, East Kalimantan, where he was greeted by approximately
\n1,500 people.<\/p>",
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