Akbar, Mega to vote in Jakarta, Amien in Yogyakarta

Akbar, Mega to vote in Jakarta, Amien in Yogyakarta

JAKARTA (JP): Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung will cast his
vote on Monday at polling station (TPS) No. 2 in Senayan, South
Jakarta, while Megawati Soekarnoputri, chairwoman of the
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) will
vote at TPS No. 18 near her home in Kebagusan, South Jakarta.

National Mandate Party (PAN) chairman Amien Rais will vote in
his hometown of Yogyakarta, Antara reported.

President B.J. Habibie will vote near his residence in the
Patra Kuningan housing complex in South Jakarta. Minister of
Cooperatives Adi Sasono and Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan
Hamid will also vote in Senayan as it is close to the Widya
Chandra housing complex for high-ranking officials where they
both reside.

A PDI Perjuangan official, Mangara Siahaan, said Megawati
wished to tour the capital on Monday rather than visiting
Bandung, West Java, as earlier planned.

Asked whether touring Jakarta would incite her supporters to
flock to the streets, Siahaan said: "I am now calling on the
party's supporters and sympathizers to flock to polling stations
rather than taking to the streets."

Other party figures set to vote at polling stations near their
homes in the city are Hamzah Haz of the United Development Party
(PPP), Abdurrahman Wahid of the National Awakening Party (PKB)
and Yusril Ihza Mahendra of the Crescent Star Party (PBB).

Presidency

In Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Abdurrahman told a gathering of
religious leaders on Sunday that if he was elected president, his
first 100-days in office would be spent reshaping the
administration.

He was quoted by Antara as saying that regions would be given
greater autonomy -- including the right to elect their own
regents and governors -- to lessen the burden on the central
government.

He also said his administration would ensure a fairer fiscal
balance between the regions and Jakarta, giving regions 75
percent of income derived from their natural resources.

He said his administration would be made up of able people
from various political parties, including PAN, and would be
called the National Unity Cabinet.

Also on Sunday, researchers at the University of Indonesia
revealed in Jakarta that its recent survey indicated Amien Rais
was the most likely candidate to win the presidency.

The head of the survey team, Effendi Gazali, said the survey
involved 1,400 respondents and was conducted between June 2 and
June 5 in Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Semarang, Medan
and Ujungpandang.

Amien was given a rating of 7.02 by the respondents, who were
asked who they thought would most improve the condition of
Indonesia.

Amien was followed by Megawati, who was given a rating of
6.61, Yogyakarta monarch Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono, Yusril Ihza
Mahendra, Abdurrahman Wahid, B.J. Habibie, Try Sutrisno, Hamzah
Haz, Sri Bintang Pamungkas, Didin Hafidhuddin, Adi Sasono and
Budiman Sudjatmiko.

Respondents rated PAN the best political party with a mark of
7.01, followed by PDI Perjuangan, PKB, PBB, PPP, the Justice
Party (PK), Golkar, the Justice and Unity Party (PKP), the
People's Sovereignty Party (PDR) and the Democratic People's
Party (PRD). (swe)