Fuad, Soetrisno to compete for PAN leadership<\/p>\n
Suherdjoko, The Jakarta Post, Semarang<\/p>\n
Participants of the National Mandate Party's (PAN) congress
\nreturned to the congress arena on Saturday with two out of the
\nseven candidates for party leader emerging as the main
\ncontenders.<\/p>\n
The candidates in questions are Fuad Bawazier, who claims he
\nis supported by 60 percent of eligible voters, and Soetrisno
\nBachir, who claims a majority of congress participants support
\nhim.<\/p>\n
Another strong candidate, Hatta Radjasa, currently the
\nminister of transportation, has reportedly withdrawn from the
\nrace, against the wishes of his supporters from Maluku, Papua,
\nGorontalo, Aceh and Bandung. Hatta apparently withdrew after
\nmeeting Amien Rais, a veteran politician and the current PAN
\nleader, few days ago.<\/p>\n
Like the other five candidates, Fuad and Soetrisno meet
\nrequirements for PAN leader, including possessing membership
\ncards. \"Many PAN regional executives, the real voters, have
\nexpressed support for me. I estimate they account for 60 percent
\nof eligible voters at the congress,\" said Fuad, a former minister
\nof finance under president Soeharto. Fuad said his campaign team
\nwas still working to gain the support of more regional
\nexecutives, including those from South Kalimantan.<\/p>\n
He claimed that he had also been advised by members of Hatta
\nRadjasa's success team that Hatta would withdraw from the race.<\/p>\n
\"I was asked to be more active in approaching Hatta's
\nsupporters,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Separately, Soetrisno, a businessman who has the support of
\nPAN's outgoing charismatic leader Amien Rais, said he had visited
\nregional PAN leaders over the past few months, and that they had
\npledged support for him.<\/p>\n
The fierce competition has been tarnished by the sending of
\nmalicious mobile phone text messages (SMSes) to participants of
\nthe congress, which is being held in a hotel in Semarang, capital
\nof Central Java province.<\/p>\n
\"I received an SMS mudslinging one candidate,\" said Sarno Zivi
\nSuwandi, a PAN regional executive from West Kalimantan.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, amid fierce competition between Fuad and Soetrisno,
\ncandidate Samuel Kotto is apparently aware that his chances of
\nbeing elected PAN leader are slim.<\/p>\n
He bluntly admitted that only 10 percent of participants
\nsupported him. But he quickly added: \"It may only be 10 percent,
\nbut it is pure support, untarnished by bribery.\"<\/p>\n
The more than 1,000 congress participants joined commission
\nmeetings on Saturday, which discussed various matters, including
\namendment of the party's statutes and the establishment of a
\ncommittee to organize the PAN leadership election. The election
\nwas scheduled to kick off on Saturday night.<\/p>",
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