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