PPP lobbies Megawati to join its campaign<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): In a bid to improve its election performance,
\nthe United Development Party (PPP) intensified its campaign
\nyesterday to win over Megawati Soekarnoputri to its cause.<\/p>\n
The Moslem-based PPP sent Mudrick Sangidoe, its Surakarta
\nbranch chief, to meet with the ousted PDI leader at her residence
\nin South Jakarta last night.<\/p>\n
Mudrick told journalists that he asked Megawati for a blessing
\nfor the many Megawati loyalists wanting to join the PPP in
\nSurakarta.<\/p>\n
"I also conveyed Buya's greeting to her," he told reporters.
\nBuya is what PPP chief Ismail Hasan Metareum is affectionately
\ncalled.<\/p>\n
Megawati declined to go into specifics concerning her meeting
\nwith Mudrick. She only said that Mudrick was an old friend of
\nhers.<\/p>\n
Megawati lost the helm of her party to Soerjadi in a
\ngovernment-sanctioned rebel congress in Medan last June. The
\ngovernment has barred her from running in this month's election.<\/p>\n
Her frustrated supporters are split on what they should do.
\nSome have reportedly crossed to Golkar while others announced
\nthey would vote for PPP but remain loyal to Megawati.<\/p>\n
In what observers see as a clever move, several PPP leaders
\nhave offered to try and persuade Megawati to join forces with
\nthem.<\/p>\n
Senior PPP politician Matori Abdul Djalil has urged his party
\nleadership to "have the courage" to ask Megawati to join forces
\nwith them to bolster their election chances.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and Security
\nSoesilo Soedarman called on Megawati's supporters yesterday to
\nvote in the May 29 general election.<\/p>\n
"They have the freedom to decide to vote as they want," he
\nsaid after addressing thousands of Golkar supporters at a rally
\nin Halim subdistrict, East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Armed Forces Spokesman Brig. Gen. Slamet Supriadi said he was
\nnot interested in discussing Megawati loyalists.<\/p>\n
"Let them mind their own business," he told reporters at the
\narmed forces headquarters yesterday, saying he learned about the
\nMegawati supporters' move only yesterday from the newspapers.<\/p>\n
But he said that Golkar, the United Development Party (PPP)
\nand the government-backed PDI leadership under Soerjadi should be
\nwary of the Megawati loyalists' motives.<\/p>\n
"Although they are showing sympathy for others, there is no
\nguarantee they will shift allegiance from Megawati in the long
\nterm," he said.<\/p>\n
Supriadi warned that the authorities would not hesitate to
\ntake tough action against Megawati supporters who ventured to
\ndisrupt the general election.<\/p>\n
Golkar featured State Minister of Environment Sarwono
\nKusumaatmadja, State Minister of Research and Technology B.J.
\nHabibie and Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief in Jakarta and
\nBogor.<\/p>\n
They all promised that Golkar would strive to create more jobs
\nand make development more sustainable.<\/p>\n
Addressing 2,000 Golkar supporters in Bogor, Sarwono stressed
\nthe need for the government to protect coastal areas that had
\nbeen degraded by mismanagement and erosion.<\/p>\n
Habibie told a crowd of 5,000 supporters in Central Jakarta's
\nPejompongan that the government's commitment to promoting
\ntechnology had made Indonesia one of the world's few aircraft
\nmakers.<\/p>\n
"We are now on a par with other advanced countries in aircraft
\ntechnology," he said to the cheering crowd.<\/p>\n
"Even advanced countries like Japan, or new emerging economic
\nforces like South Korea and China do not have their own aircraft
\nindustries," he said.<\/p>\n
Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief told thousands of Golkar
\nsupporters, mostly laborers, in Pulomas, East Jakarta, that
\nGolkar would continue to create more job opportunities in the
\nnext five years. (24\/har\/ahy\/imn\/rms)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ppp-lobbies-megawati-to-join-its-campaign-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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