Akbar authorized to select Wiranto's running mate
Akbar authorized to select Wiranto's running mate
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Yogyakarta
Golkar Party's central board was given on Wednesday a mandate to
determine the running mate of its presidential candidate,
Wiranto.
Party leader Akbar Tandjung said after a plenary meeting that
the mandate would include seeking an alternative vice
presidential candidate if ongoing negotiations with Nahdlatul
Ulama figure and rights campaigner Solahuddin Wahid failed.
"The plenary gave us the mandate because of rapid political
developments, while it will take us time to convene for a plenary
meeting," Akbar said.
He said an alternative vice presidential candidate would come
from inside the party, although some party regional leaders
proposed that Golkar offer the position to the United Development
Party.
"We will announce our vice presidential candidate on May 10
anyway," Akbar said.
He added that Golkar was waiting for a meeting between
National Awakening Party cofounder Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid
and Supreme Court Chief Justice Bagir Manan on Friday over the
former's request for a judicial review of a General Elections
Commission regulation on medical tests for presidential
candidates.
Gus Dur has given a green light to Golkar's nomination of his
brother Solahuddin as its vice presidential candidate. But
Solahuddin said he would confirm his acceptance only if Gus Dur
failed in his bid for a judicial review.
Akbar said the alternative for Solahuddin could be one of the
losing contenders in the party convention last month, a Golkar
executive or advisor.
But the Golkar leader turned down requests that he partner
with Wiranto, who convincingly beat him in the convention's
runoff, according to Golkar member Ruhut Sitompul, who was also
in attendance at the plenary meeting.
"Some provincial chapters wanted Akbar to become Wiranto's
running mate but he declined, saying he was done with his bid for
the presidency," Ruhut, who is a lawyer, said.
In Yogyakarta, presidential candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
visited Governor Sultan Hamengkubuwono X for talks on how to
improve security condition, law enforcement and people's welfare.
"As a presidential candidate I need to communicate and consult
figures with broad mind like him (Hamengkubuwono)," Susilo said
after the meeting at the governor's office.
All other presidential candidates have met the sultan for
consultation.
Susilo dismissed speculation that he offered a position to the
sultan, who quit the Golkar convention which eventually won by
former military commander Gen. (ret) Wiranto.
"Don't reduce political communications to efforts to seek
political interests. The time to discuss the design of
administration will only come when election result is announced.
Now it's more important to make people understand what we are
doing so they do not give the mandate to wrong candidates,"
Susilo said.
Separately, Indonesian Military (TNI) Chief Gen. Endriartono
Sutarto reconfirmed neutrality of the institution in the face of
the direct presidential and vice presidential election, which
involves former high-ranking military officers.
Endriartono said TNI would not support nor prevent retired
military officers from the race. The military's involvement in
the election was restricted to "ensuring the election to run
smoothly."