Major parties fight over Susilo<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta\/Semarang<\/p>\n
Political parties are rushing to court Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
\nfollowing his resignation from President Megawati Soekarnoputri's
\nCabinet on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The National Awakening Party (PKB), the National Mandate Party
\n(PAN) and the Crescent Star Party (PBB) all said on Friday they
\nwere interested in having Susilo be either their presidential or
\nvice presidential candidate for the July 5 presidential election.<\/p>\n
The three parties won a total of 20 percent of the seats in
\nthe House of Representatives in the 1999 elections.<\/p>\n
PKB legislative candidate Masduki Baidlawi said on Friday
\nSusilo could be an alternative candidate for Abdurrahman \"Gus
\nDur\" Wahid should the former president be unable to contest the
\npresidency because of health problems.<\/p>\n
The party, according to Masduki, who is deputy chairman of the
\ncountry's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), has
\nalready approached Susilo, although the NU's influential clerics
\nalso are eying NU chairman Hasyim Muzadi for the position.<\/p>\n
\"Listening to the aspirations within the PKB, Susilo is
\nconsidered to be the most suitable person to replace Gus Dur, but
\nthe NU clerics want Pak Hasyim to be in that position,\" Masduki
\ntold The Jakarta Post on Friday.<\/p>\n
Susilo resigned from the Cabinet on Thursday after accusing
\nMegawati of taking over his duties as coordinating minister for
\npolitical and security affairs.<\/p>\n
Polls suggest that the retired four-star Army general could
\npose a serious challenge to Megawati's quest to win a full five-
\nyear mandate in the upcoming election. The Democratic Party has
\nalready said that Susilo will be its presidential candidate
\nshould the party qualify to contest the election.<\/p>\n
The PKB, which was set up by NU leaders ahead of the elections
\nin 1999, had said that it wants Gus Dur, who was president until
\nbeing impeached for incompetence in 2001 and replaced by his vice
\npresident, Megawati, to be its presidential candidate in the July
\n5 election, which will be the country's first ever direct
\npresidential election.<\/p>\n
Susilo met with Gus Dur soon after he announced his
\nresignation from the Cabinet on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Gus Dur's spokesman Adhi M. Massardi said Susilo could be the
\nfront-runner for the PKB's presidential nomination should Gus Dur
\ndecide not to run for the presidency.<\/p>\n
\"Gus Dur gets along very well with Susilo. Even when he was
\nstill president, Gus Dur used to entrust many governmental duties
\nto Susilo,\" Adhi said.<\/p>\n
PAN leader Amien Rais said in Semarang, Central Java, on
\nFriday that he wanted Susilo to be his vice presidential running
\nmate in the July 5 election.<\/p>\n
\"But I have yet to discuss it with him,\" said Amien, who is
\nalso speaker of the People' Consultative Assembly.<\/p>\n
PAN, Amien said, listed 10 possible vice presidential
\ncandidates during its national meeting in Makassar, South
\nSulawesi, last year. These included Susilo, Minister of
\nTransportation Agum Gumelar and Coordinating Minister for
\nPeople's Welfare Jusuf Kalla of the Golkar Party.<\/p>\n
PBB leader Yusril Ihza Mahendra said on Friday he had met with
\nSusilo before his resignation to discuss the possibility of
\nforming a coalition.<\/p>\n
\"I met with him before he resigned, but we have yet to make
\nany deal. We will see after the legislative election,\" he said
\nafter attending a campaign stop for his party in Bulungan, South
\nJakarta.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/major-parties-fight-over-susilo-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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