Parties begin naming presidential candidates<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Around 100,000 supporters of the National
\nAwakening Party (PKB) packed the Senayan sports stadium in
\nJakarta Sunday to mark the opening of the party's congress.<\/p>\n
PKB's presidential candidate, Abdurrahman Wahid, who is also
\nchairman of Indonesia's biggest Muslim organization, the 30-
\nmillion-strong Nahdlatul Ulama, pledged in his speech to create a
\nclean government and end the economic crisis if PKB won the June
\n7 elections.<\/p>\n
\"The economic crisis will be solved by PKB if we win the
\nelections and we will choose qualified officials for our
\ngovernment,\" Abdurrahman told his supporters, waving banners and
\nblowing plastic trumpets, who had flocked to the Senayan soccer
\nstadium since early morning.<\/p>\n
\"The PKB is ready to win the elections in order to destroy
\ncollusion, corruption and nepotism,\" said Abdurrahman, who is
\nbetter known as Gus Dur.<\/p>\n
The party's chairman is Matori Abdul Djalil, but party
\nofficials said Abdurrahman was expected to run as the PKB
\npresidential candidate after the elections even though he has
\nbeen sick recently.<\/p>\n
The PKB is one of the stronger contenders in the planned June
\nelections, along with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
\nled by Megawati Soekarnoputri, and the National Mandate Party
\n(PAN) led by Muslim reformist Amien Rais. Both Megawati and Amien
\nare also presidential hopefuls.<\/p>\n
The elections, the first since the fall of president Soeharto
\nlast May, is expected to be the most open in Indonesia for
\ndecades. The new upper House, the People's Consultative Assembly,
\nwill then elect a new president around November.<\/p>\n
President B.J. Habibie's ruling Golkar Party, which has been
\ntainted by its links to former president Soeharto, is not
\nexpected to fare well in the elections.<\/p>\n
Golkar's executive A.A. Baramuli, however, was quoted by
\nAntara as saying Saturday in Sampit, Central Kalimantan, that
\nonly Habibie is the most suitable presidential candidate because
\nof his capability and leadership, and his \"incomparable\" love for
\nthe Indonesian people.<\/p>\n
\"Habibie is the best and there's none like him, which is why
\nGolkar is firm in its decision to nominate him,\" Baramuli told
\nthousands of party supporters. \"Golkar will have only one
\ncandidate, namely Habibie, no alternatives.\"<\/p>\n
Another Golkar executive, Aulia Rachman, however, said the
\nparty would formally name its candidates in its congress in
\nJakarta from March 8 to March 12. The event will be preceded by
\nthe official launching of Golkar as a party at Senayan sports
\nstadium on March 7.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Crescent Star Party (PBB) concluded on Sunday
\nits congress by issuing 10 presidential nominees, all party
\nexecutives.<\/p>\n
They are Ahmad Sumargono (deputy chairman), Abdul Qadir
\nDjaelani (deputy chairman), Amanullah (the chairman of the
\nparty's Central Java chapter), Farid Prawiranegara, Fuad Amsyari,
\nHartono Mardjono (deputy chairman), Kholil Ridwan, M. Ja'far
\nHaruna, Yusril Ihza Mahendra (the chairman of PBB), and Yusuf
\nAmir Faisal. (01)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/parties-begin-naming-presidential-candidates-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}