Big parties eying more votes in 2004
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The country's four largest political parties organized separate events over the weekend as they begin to gather pace for the general election in April 2004.
In the Central Java town of Surakarta, the first gentleman, Taufik Kiemas, attended a gathering with supporters of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan). During the event, he urged the supporters to respect the party and its chairwoman, Megawati Soekarnoputri, who is also President.
Taufik said that with the right attitude the party would be able to repeat its victory in the last general election.
Taufik, a legislator in the House of Representatives, was in the sultanate town to celebrate the party's anniversary with local supporters.
Deep cracks have formed in the party since Megawati assumed the presidency in July 2001. This was evident when party members in local legislatures defied the central board over regental and gubernatorial elections. The split cost the party some posts in local governments despite its superiority in the legislature.
Also, a number of party leaders have defected and set up their own parties because of their disappointment with Megawati's leadership.
PDI Perjuangan won 34 percent of the vote in the 1999 elections, the most of any of the parties contesting the vote.
Separately, Akbar Tandjung, who chairs the second largest political party, Golkar, expressed optimism the party would obtain at least 20 percent of the vote in the next elections.
Golkar was the ruling party during the Soeharto regime, but lost its hold on power during the last elections.
Speaking in the South Sumatra capital of Palembang, Akbar, who has been convicted of corruption but remains free on appeal, said the party needed solidarity and solidity to achieve its goals.
Akbar also said Golkar would deploy two million of its members as election monitors.
He refused to say who the party's presidential candidates would be, only indicating that the matter would be discussed during the party's leadership meeting scheduled for the end of April.
Meanwhile, the deputy chairman of the United Development Party (PPP), Bachtiar Chamsyah, said in Surabaya that party chairman Hamzah Haz should be reelected to lead the party.
Hamzah, who is also the Vice President, has expressed some reticence to serving another term as PPP chairman.
"But it all depends on the participants of the party congress scheduled for May," Bachtiar told Antara.
Bachtiar said the congress would decide whether Hamzah would remain chairman.
On the sidelines of a mass prayer for peace hosted by the National Awakening Party in Semarang on Sunday, the party's deputy chairman Mahfud MD said several influential clerics had been consulted about possible presidential candidates.
However, Mahfud refused to identify any possible candidates, saying the party first had to hold its national meeting in mid- May.
"The candidate will not differ from the one backed by our supporters at the grassroots," Mahfud said.
Former president and the party's chief patron, Abdurrahman Wahid, has expressed his intention to run for the presidency.