Amien, a man who remembers his roots

Amien, a man who remembers his roots

Blontank Poer, The Jakarta Post, Surakarta

This is the third in a series of articles on the five
presidential candidates in the eyes of their neighbors

Although he spent much of his time lecturing at state-run Gadjah
Mada University in Yogyakarta, presidential candidate Amien Rais
is still seen as a "hometown boy" by villagers in Kepatihan
Kulon, Surakarta, Central Java.

"Many people here voted for Pak Amien Rais' party because they
recognize him as one of their own," Sudarso, 62, said proudly.

Amien's National Mandate Party (PAN) won up to 90 percent of
400 votes at one of seven polling stations in Kepatihan Kulon
during the April 5 legislative election. Overall, however, the
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) of President
Megawati Soekarnoputri won the village's votes.

In Surakarta, however, PAN garnered 43,000 votes compared to
the 40,000 it won in the 1999 election, thus raising its
representation in the local legislature from six to seven seats.

According to his neighbors, Amien is a clean figure who had
the courage to stand up against former president Soeharto.

They recalled vividly how Amien called for the presidential
term to be limited in the mid-1990s.

They also considered Amien down-to-earth, as he continued to
spare his time to visit and talk with them even after he was
elected in 1999 as Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly,
the country's highest legislative body.

"Because of his tight schedule, Pak Amien cannot stay longer
with his neighbors, but for ordinary people like us, his thoughts
are already enough," Sudarso said.

Hadawiyah, 43, however, has a slightly expanded view on Amien,
who has picked Siswono Yudohusodo as his running mate for the
upcoming election.

"Pak Amien is a very serious and disciplined person, yet he is
also very hospitable to his neighbors," said Hadawiyah, who lives
next door to Amien's village home.

Villagers said his strong discipline was deeply implanted in
the family by his late mother, Sudalmiyah Suhud Rais.

"Elderly people often say that none of Eyang Suhud's children
were allowed to play outside the fence of their house," she said.

Sudarso agreed with Hadawiyah, and said Amien's younger years
were spent on studying and reciting the Koran after school at the
local mosque, the Langgar Setabelan.

"Due to his keen interest in Korean recital, Pak Amien became
very respected among his friends. He is clever, too, because he
is the first person from here who studied overseas," he said.

Surakarta PAN executive chairman Umar Hasyim said the increase
in the party's ballots was due to Amien's popularity.

"We wouldn't have won so many votes if it wasn't for Pak
Amien, although many votes were reaped from Muhammadiyah
members," he said, referring to the second-largest Muslim
organization.