PAN hopes to double votes on past lessons<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Smarting from mistakes in the previous elections, the National
\nMandate Party (PAN) has vowed to win about 15 percent of the vote
\nin the general election in April.<\/p>\n
PAN chairman Amien Rais said on Monday that target was
\nrealistic as a result of the party's consolidation and the
\npublic's wider acceptance of its platform.<\/p>\n
\"My colleagues have told me the target is in the neighborhood
\nof 15 percent. We will rely on our captive market and new
\nmarkets, and 11 percent will be OK,\" he said during a visit to
\nThe Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
As a new party, PAN won 7 percent of the vote in the 1999
\nelections, placing it among the six parties that exceeded the
\nelectoral threshold of 10 seats in the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
The five other parties that exceeded the threshold were the
\nIndonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), Golkar,
\nthe United Development Party (PPP), the National Awakening Party
\n(PKB) and the Crescent Star Party (PBB).<\/p>\n
PAN's vote target for this year's general election would be
\nmore than enough to allow the party to contest the presidential
\nelection, scheduled for July 5.<\/p>\n
According to the presidential election law, a party must win
\nat least 3 percent of House seats or 5 percent of the vote to
\ncontest the presidential election.<\/p>\n
PAN has already nominated Amien as its presidential candidate.<\/p>\n
Amien said that with its political experience, solidity and
\nstrong network, PAN would receive more support in these elections
\nfrom first-time voters.<\/p>\n
He acknowledged there was a faction within the party that
\nwished to turn PAN into an exclusive party, but he said he would
\ndo his best to keep the faction under control.<\/p>\n
\"The problem is there and I have done my best to reduce it,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Amien, a Muslim scholar and U.S. university graduate, believes
\na religious-based party cannot win nationwide support.<\/p>\n
Amien, speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly, praised
\nthe progress the country has made under the leadership of
\nPresident Megawati Soekarnoputri, a potential rival in the
\npresidential election.<\/p>\n
The current government, he said, has been able to maintain
\npolitical stability, with some exceptions in Papua, Aceh and the
\nCentral Sulawesi town of Poso, where conflicts remain unresolved.<\/p>\n
\"Overall the picture is good and the macroeconomy is also
\nperforming well,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said the direct presidential election must produce a strong
\nleader able to lead the nation to recovery.<\/p>\n
He suggested reconstruction in the national leadership and
\npolitical system to help the nation emerge from its
\nmultidimensional crisis.<\/p>\n
A reconstruction of the country's leadership would not only
\nmean a change of guard, but also a new enthusiasm for completing
\nthe reform agenda, he said.<\/p>\n
Due to the daunting challenges facing the country, Amien
\nsuggested a collective leadership.<\/p>\n
Any changes in the country's legal, economic and political
\nsystems must result in transparency and accountability to the
\npublic, he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pan-hopes-to-double-votes-on-past-lessons-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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