Amien is the preffered presidential candidate

Amien is the preffered presidential candidate

JAKARTA (JP): Chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN)
Amien Rais tops the list of the 20 most popular prospective
presidential candidates, winning the support of 22.2 percent of
eligible voters, according to the results of a poll revealed on
Thursday.

The survey, jointly conducted by the University of Indonesia's
School of Social and Political Sciences and the Voters
Empowerment Committee, polled 2,000 eligible voters in Jakarta,
Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Banda Aceh, Medan and Ujungpandang.
Respondents were asked to pick their favorite prospective
presidential candidate.

Rounding out the top five prospective candidates were Megawati
Soekarnoputri, chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle or PDI Perjuangan (21.3 percent), President B.J. Habibie
(17.2 percent), Yogyakarta monarch Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X
(11.5 percent) and Didin Hafiduddin, who is the Justice Party's
presidential candidate (3.2 percent).

The rest of the list was as follows: Yusril Ihza Mahendra,
chairman of the Crescent Star Party (PBB) with 2.5 percent; noted
Muslim scholar Nurcholish Madjid with 2.4 percent; chairman of
Nahdlatul Ulama Abdurrahman Wahid with 2 percent; Minister of
Defense and Security/Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Gen.
Wiranto with 1.7 percent; and Hamzah Haz, chairman of the United
Development Party (PPP), with 1 percent.

Other names mentioned in the poll were General Elections
Commission (KPU) chairman Rudini, former vice president Try
Sutrisno, Minister of Cooperatives and Small Enterprises Adi
Sasono, Sri Bintang Pamungkas of the Indonesian Democratic Union
Party (PUDI), former minister of finance Mar'ie Muhammad, former
minister of security and defense Edi Sudradjat, Minister of
Justice Muladi, Guntur Soekarnoputra, the son of founding
president Sukarno, and Gen. (ret) M. Yusuf.

They were all named by less than one percent of poll
respondents.

Also, 2.6 percent of respondents replied "anybody will do" and
11.5 percent said "don't know".

"There is a strong tendency for Megawati to get more support
in Java. She received 23.8 percent of the vote in Jakarta, 19.6
percent in Yogyakarta and 33.5 percent in Surabaya," Valina
Singka Subekti, director of the university's political
laboratory, which processed the survey, said.

Amien received the most votes in Jakarta and Banda Aceh with
25.7 percent and 42.4 percent, respectively.

The survey, conducted by phone between April 21 and April 26,
revealed that Habibie enjoyed strong support in regions outside
of Java. He placed second behind Amien in Banda Aceh with 21.2
percent of the vote, but received 58.8 percent of the vote in
Ujungpandang and 19.6 percent in Medan.

"We have a new rising star candidate, Didin Hafiduddin of the
Justice Party. We believe he enjoys the support of youths who are
not affiliated to either Muhammadiyah or Nahdlatul Ulama (NU),"
Valina said.

Muhammadiyah and NU are the largest Muslim organizations in
the country.

Valina said the Justice Party drew most of its constituents
from among students at Islamic boarding schools and Islamic study
groups.

On Tuesday, Amien, Didin, Bintang and Yusril joined a debate
of presidential aspirants held by students grouped in the Forum
Salemba at the University of Indonesia.

Political observer Eep Saefulloh Fatah, who also helped
conduct the poll, suggested that such debates be held again, but
in front of the future members of the House of Representatives
and the People's Consultative Assembly who will elect the new
president.

"A special debate could be held to show every candidate's
capacity in economic, social and political matters," he said
before a discussion on legislative candidates on Thursday.

Separately, retired Gen. Kemal Idris urged Megawati to join
such a debate. "We need to know her vision," he told Antara.

Megawati has rejected the offer to participate in debates,
calling it "inappropriate for eastern culture". (edt)