Amien collects Rp 12.9b from supporters

Amien collects Rp 12.9b from supporters

YOGYAKARTA: A three-day national gathering of the National
Mandate Party (PAN) managed to collect on Saturday a total of Rp
12.9 billion (US$1.4 million) to pay for the campaign for its
chairman Amien Rais' presidential bid in 2004.

The fund-raising session was chaired by Amien, who is also the
People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) speaker.

He said the money would be of great significance for the
party's coffers which were currently short of fresh funds.

"We have to turn to our own party members in raising funds as
we have no conventional way of collecting donations," he said
without elaborating.

Amien said the funds raised on Saturday from PAN supporters,
mostly legislators, would be earmarked mostly to finance the
campaign for his bid in the 2004 direct presidential election.

"The money will be used to procure T-shirts and other items
bearing the PAN logo and my picture, which will be distributed
evenly to provincial branches," he said.

With Rp 7.3 billion received in government assistance, PAN now
has some Rp 20 billion in cash, Amien said. --JP