Akbar, Ginandjar withdraw from Golkar's presidential nomination
JAKARTA (JP): Ginandjar Kartasasmita and Akbar Tandjung withdrew from Golkar's list of five presidential nominees, leaving the coast clearer for three others: President B.J. Habibie, Indonesian Military (TNI) Chief Gen. Wiranto and Yogyakarta's monarch Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X.
Ginandjar is the coordinating minister of economy, finance and industry, while Akbar is Golkar's chairman who resigned from his post as minister/state secretary in order to be able to campaign for the party.
Golkar deputy chairman Fahmi Idris said once the party's leadership meeting, scheduled for May 13 and 14, decides on the final candidate, Golkar would start campaigning for the person.
He said Akbar expressed his wish to withdraw from the list during the party's plenary meeting on Sunday. "I heard Ginandjar also said the same thing," Fahmi said. "We haven't heard from Wiranto or the Sultan."
The five names were originally drawn up during Golkar's congress in March.
Responding to criticism that Habibie has failed in his one- year-old administration, Fahmi said "that's unfair".
"Many people forget that his administration has also done some good over the year," Fahmi said. "Anybody placed in Habibie's position, namely having to fix the crisis within a year, would still find it too daunting a job."
A number of names were circulated as presidential material. They included Amien Rais of the National Mandate Party (PAN), Megawati Soekarnoputri of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI Perjuangan), Didin Hafidhuddin of the Justice Party (PK), Sri Bintang Pamungkas of the Indonesian Democratic Union Party (PUDI) and Abdurrahman Wahid of the National Awakening Party (PKB).
In Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, Megawati told tens of thousands of supporters she regretted statements that women cannot become president.
"Those statements are an insult to women," she said as quoted by Antara. "Before Allah, women are equal to men."
She then asserted that she remained the presidential candidate of the PDI Perjuangan.
Among critics of Megawati's ambition to become president is United Development Party (PPP) leader and State Minister of Food and Horticulture, A.M. Saefuddin.
In Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi, the provincial chapter of the New Indonesia Party (PIB) on Monday named Habibie as its candidate for the presidential election later this year.
The party chapter also said it would field two vice presidential candidates, noting that the country needs two vice presidents, one for Western Indonesia and the other for Eastern Indonesia, to ensure an equitable distribution of development and its gains.
"History shows that since the proclamation of independence, the country really needs two vice presidents to ponder upon and draw up a plan for equitability," said chairman of PIB-South Sulawesi, Ambo Sakka, as quoted by Antara.
Sakka pointed out he would table the nomination of Habibie and two vice presidential candidates to the party's upcoming national congress in Jakarta.
He disclosed that he would nominate Hamzah Haz, a PPP leader who recently resigned from his post as minister of investment, as vice president for Western Indonesia, and Adi Sasono, who is minister of cooperatives, for the eastern part of the country.
According to a release from PIB-South Sulawesi, the upcoming cabinet should comprise of Megawati as minister of internal affairs, Wiranto as minister of foreign affairs and Nurcholis Madjid as minister of religious affairs.
The Irian Jaya chapter of the People's Sovereignty Party (PDR) said on Monday it named Adi Sasono and former Irian Jaya governor Barnabas Suebu as its presidential candidates.
Chapter chairman Abdul Hakim Aituarauw was quoted by Antara as saying the two figures were known for their fight for economic policies that would benefit common people rather than big businesses. (aan/swe)