Amien Rais ready for presidency despite party's loss

JAKARTA (JP): National Mandate Party (PAN) chairman Amien Rais has retracted his decision to withdraw from the race for presidency, citing an advantage he may take in the much anticipated deadlock in the presidential election.

Amien said on Thursday he switched his stance in response to a pledge aired by PAN legislative candidates, who said they would nominate and vote for him in the presidential election to be held in the General Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) scheduled for November.

"All PAN legislative candidates have vowed to be loyal to the party in the presidential nomination," he told reporters at the Muhammadiyah Muslim organization secretariat on Jl. Menteng Raya in Central Jakarta.

Learning of his party's position in the provisional poll results, Amien said: "we will not force ourselves to form a coalition with other parties but to focus on the presidential election."

Speaking at a meeting with foreign media earlier this month, Amien, disappointed with his party's poor showing at the polls, said he would like PAN to stay out of the government as an opposition and let the election winner take the presidential seat.

Military observer from the Australian National University (ANU) Harold Crouch touted Amien as one of the alternative presidential candidates, but favored a military member to win the top job if a deadlock was unavoidable.

"I predict Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Wiranto or TNI's Territorial chief Lt. Gen. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will emerge as the strongest contenders for the presidency," Crouch told a seminar on the Indonesian general election at the ANU in Canberra on Wednesday.

A deadlock appears likely as no party will hold an outright majority in the MPR. If the vote count goes as expected, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) under Megawati Soekarnoputri will emerge the winner with a slight margin over the ruling Golkar party, which has named incumbent B.J. Habibie as its presidential candidate.

"There is a possibility that the MPR may reject both Megawati and Habibie if the deadlock prevails," he told Antara. "If this happens, the MPR will look for alternative candidates."

The presidential choices also include founder of the National Awakening Party (PKB) Abdurrahman Wahid, Yogyakarta's monarch Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, Muslim scholar Nurcholish Madjid and former minister Emil Salim.

Another Australian political observer, Bob Lowry, the author of The Armed Forces of Indonesia, did not dismiss the possibility that a military candidate would join the presidential race.

Lowry said almost all of the widely touted presidential candidates were less committed to total reform. "The only reformist is Amien Rais. And he (Amien) is aware that a lot of parties are afraid of his stance," Lowry said.

Smooth

Nurcholish contended arguments that a deadlock was almost a certainty in the presidential election, saying that the process would instead run smoothly.

"I believe the presidential election will not end in a deadlock, despite the parties' interests to win their candidates," Nurcholish said at the Taman Ismail Marzuki arts center on Thursday.

He suggested a gradual election comprising at least three stages to avoid a deadlock. The candidates, he said, should clear the elimination rounds en route to the presidency.

"For example, there are 10 candidates, the first stage will half the number, the second stage will select three nominees who qualify for the final stage, " he said. Such an idea was previously raised by Gadjah Mada University rector Ichlasul Amal.

Meanwhile, the ruling Golkar on Thursday called on military representatives not to use their right to vote if they were committed to neutrality in the presidential election.

"The military's abstention is a consequence of its neutrality in the general election and politics," Golkar executive Marzuki Darusman told The Jakarta Post.

Many, including military officer Maj. Gen. Agus Wirahadikusumah, have aired similar calls for TNI to abstain in the presidential election.

Wiranto last week rejected what he called discrimination in politics and asserted the military would actively participate in the presidential election.

Marzuki said following PAN's plain refusal to Golkar's coalition offer, the ruling party was now open to form an alliance with PDI Perjuangan.

"Contacts have been made," he said, adding Golkar would also make a deal with the United Development Party (PPP) and National Awakening Party (PKB). Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung however said contacts with PDI Perjuangan had not touched on the issue of a coalition.

Marzuki, who also chairs the rights commission, said that if Golkar and PDI Perjuangan agreed to coalesce, the two parties would discuss the terms of power sharing, including who would hold the presidency.

He suggested PDI Perjuangan initiate steps to form a coalition government if it won the elections.

President B.J. Habibie joined the discourse, calling on the nation to leave the decision on presidency to the 700-member MPR.

"According to the constitution, the president and vice president will be decided by people's representatives in the MPR. So let's place our trust in the MPR to elect the national leadership," Habibie said upon opening a national congress held by the National Importers Association (GINSI) at the State Palace. (imn/rms/prb)