Akbar eyes Army chief for VP
Kurniawan Hari and Fitri Wulandari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Golkar leader Akbar Tandjung is considering naming military chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto as his running mate in the July 5 election after talks with regional party leaders -- but he's not showing his hand yet.
"Yes, his name (Endriartono) has come to mind. But, let's wait for the convention result," Akbar said here on Monday.
Akbar's announcement follows the departure of noted Golkar party member and former presidential candidate Jusuf Kalla, who resigned from his cabinet post on Monday to become Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's vice presidential candidate.
Golkar, the political machine of former president Soeharto, will hold a convention on Tuesday (today) to elect the party's candidate in the country's first ever direct presidential election on July 5.
Five aspirants -- Akbar Tandjung; former TNI chief Gen. (ret) Wiranto; media magnate Surya Paloh; businessman Aburizal Bakrie; and former commander of the Army's Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad) Lt. Gen. Prabowo Subianto -- are competing for the party's endorsement of their presidential bids.
Akbar said the name of Endriartono, the current TNI chief, was also floated during his meeting with leaders of 15 Golkar regental branches and provincial chapters on Sunday evening.
"Some regional leaders asked me to name Endriartono to be my running mate. Of course, I'm seriously considering that," he said.
There was no comment from Endriartono on whether he would take the offer. He has said on several occasions the military must stay neutral and keep its distance from politics.
Akbar is not the only presidential hopeful who is considering someone with a military background as a running mate. Amien Rais, leader of the National Mandate Party (PAN), has often raised similar proposals.
Akbar said a potential pair-up with Endriartono could pose a challenge to the Susilo-Jusuf team.
Susilo, himself a retired Army general, is the presidential candidate of the newly established Democrat Party.
Meanwhile, Kalla officially tendered his resignation as coordinating minister for the people's welfare in President Megawati Soekarnoputri's Gotong Royong Cabinet on Monday.
"I thanked (the President) for entrusting the task to me. I apologized that I had to resign from the Cabinet to run for the vice presidential post," he said here on Monday.
Kalla said Megawati made little comment on his resignation but thanked him for carrying out his task dutifully.
"She only smiled (on my resignation)," he said.
Kalla said Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) had lobbied him to be her running mate but he chose to run alongside Susilo, the former coordinating minister for political and security affairs. Susilo resigned from his post in early March.
"There was no formal talk, only lobbying through my colleagues," he said.
Asked if he would mobilize Golkar supporters in East Indonesia, Kalla, a successful businessman from Makassar, South Sulawesi, refused to comment.
"Well, it's a campaign." he quipped.
Susilo and Kalla have topped surveys on presidential and vice presidential choices respectively, but doubt remains about their chances, as neither have solid political machinery behind them to support their bids.
Kalla did not say who would replace him in Cabinet. The Minister for National Education, Malik Fadjar, has been touted by some pundits.
"It is the prerogative of the President," Kalla said.
State Secretary Bambang Kesowo did not confirm if Malik Fadjar would be ad interim minister.
He said his office was preparing a presidential decree to accept Kalla's resignation and another to appoint his replacement.
The decree would not be made public yet, Bambang said.