PPP may support Habibie, says chairman Hamzah<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): United Development Party (PPP) chairman Hamzah
\nHaz said on Thursday his party may decide to back the ruling
\nGolkar Party's choice for president B.J. Habibie.<\/p>\n
The revelation was an about face from Hamzah who said only
\nhours earlier the party was considering an alliance with the
\nNational Mandate Party (PAN) led by Amien Rais.<\/p>\n
Hamzah was quoted by Bloomberg as saying in a campaigning
\nrally in Bekasi on Thursday: \"About this decision who we want to
\nsupport (for president), we'll decide after we talk to some more
\nreligious leaders, after the election.\"<\/p>\n
The PPP is facing pressure to choose between two camps: the
\nparties of status quo aligned with Golkar, or the so-called
\nreform parties led by Megawati Soekarnoputri, Amien and
\nAbdurrahman Wahid.<\/p>\n
Branches of some of the less-high profile political parties
\nrevealed their lists of presidential candidates yesterday, with
\nseveral of the branches throwing their support behind figures
\nfrom outside their organizations.<\/p>\n
Megawati Soekarnoputri, the chairwoman and presidential
\ncandidate of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
\nPerjuangan) turned out to be a popular potential presidential
\ncandidate for non-Muslim parties. She topped the candidate lists
\nof branches of the National Labor Party (PBN) and the Love the
\nNation Democratic Party (PDKB).<\/p>\n
Megawati received the support from the PBN chapter in Irian
\nJaya and the PDKB chapter in Central Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
The PBN branch listed Megawati as its presidential candidate
\nand party chairman Tohap Simanungkalit and former transmigration
\nminister Siswono Yudohusodo as vice presidential candidates.<\/p>\n
\"We nominated them because we are impressed by their personal
\ncapabilities,\" PBN Irian Jaya chapter chairman Yusak Samuel
\nWonatorey was quoted by Antara as saying in the provincial
\ncapital of Jayapura.<\/p>\n
PBN was founded by activists from the Indonesian Prosperous
\nLabor Union led by Muchtar Pakpahan.<\/p>\n
The Central Sulawesi chapter of PDKB put Megawati at the top
\nof its list of six presidential candidates.<\/p>\n
The other five candidates are party executive Astrid Soenaryo,
\nYogyakarta monarch Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, Nahdlatul Ulama
\nchairman Abdurrahman Wahid, General Elections Commission chairman
\nRudini and PDKB chairman Manase Malo.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman also has been nominated by the National Awakening
\nParty, which he founded, while Rudini is the MKGR Party's
\npresidential candidate.<\/p>\n
Over the past year, various parties have come out with their
\nlists of presidential candidates. Among the presidential hopefuls
\nare incumbent President Habibie of Golkar Party, Sri Bintang
\nPamungkas of the Indonesian Democratic Union Party (PUDI), Amien
\nRais of the National Mandate Party (PAN), Budiman Sudjatmiko of
\nthe Democratic People's Party (PRD), Yusril Ihza Mahendra of the
\nCrescent Star Party (PBB) and Didin Hafiddhudin of the Justice
\nParty.<\/p>\n
Support for Habibie, who hails from South Sulawesi, also came
\nThursday from the Central Sulawesi chapter of the Muslim
\nCommunity Awakening Party (PKU).<\/p>\n
The branch also named party chairman Yusuf Hasyim -- an uncle
\nand political rival of Abdurrahman Wahid -- and the 71-year-old
\nformer military chief Gen. (ret) M. Yusuf as possible
\npresidential candidates.<\/p>\n
In Palu on Tuesday, the Republican Party's (PR) local chapter
\noffered two alternative presidential and vice presidential
\ncandidates.<\/p>\n
In the chapter's first alternative, chairman Sarifuddin
\nHarahap was named as the presidential candidate and Indonesian
\nMilitary Chief for Territorial Affairs Lt. Gen. Bambang Yudhoyono
\nwas the vice presidential candidate.<\/p>\n
In the second alternative, the party nominated Habibie and
\nIndonesian Military Commander Gen. Wiranto as president and vice
\npresident, respectively.<\/p>\n
In Yogyakarta on Wednesday, the local chapter of the Justice
\nand Unity Party (PKP) floated three alternative presidential and
\nvice presidential packages. This first alternative would entail
\none president and four vice presidents, though the party offered
\nno suggestions as to who would fill these positions. Alternative
\ntwo has former vice president Try Sutrisno as president and Sri
\nSultan Hamengkubuwono X serving the position of vice president.
\nThe chapter's third alternative listed Sri Sultan as president
\nand Bambang Yudhoyono as vice president. (aan)<\/p>",
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