Candidates gather key figures for campaign teams

Candidates gather key figures for campaign teams

M. Taufiqurrahman and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta

Ministers, Islamic organization leaders and renowned political
analysts are putting some backbone behind the campaign teams for
each of the presidential candidates.

Voters may now get an idea of what "professional", serious
campaign efforts are like -- sans the dangdut shows -- if the
campaign managers' credentials are indicative of the type of
campaigns they will run. The country will have its first direct
presidential election on July 5 and a likely runoff in September.

Four of the six pairs of presidential and vice presidential
candidate pairs have submitted line-ups for their campaign teams
as required by the General Elections Commission (KPU).

The deadline to register campaign teams is May 21 before the
KPU must announce all eligible candidates. The campaign period is
from June 1 through to June 30.

The KPU disclosed on Monday that all candidates -- with the
notable exception of former president Abdurrahman Wahid and his
running mate Marwah Daud Ibrahim of the National Awakening Party
(PKB) and the Hamzah Haz/Agum Gumelar pair, nominated by the
United Development Party (PPP) -- had submitted a list of
officials who would be in charge of their campaigns at the
national level.

Two active ministers have been included on the lists. State
Minister for Women's Empowerment Sri Redjeki Soemarjoto will act
as Bali and Nusa Tenggara region coordinator for the Golkar
Party's presidential candidate Wiranto and his running mate
Solahuddin Wahid; while State Minister for Research and
Technology Hatta Rajasa will campaign for Amien Rais and running
mate Siswono Yudhohusodo.

KPU member Anas Urbaningrum said that the active ministers
included on the presidential campaign teams should either resign
from the campaign or the Cabinet as the presidential election law
stipulates that state officials must not make policies that could
support or impede presidential and vice presidential candidates.

Amien, who dubbed his campaign managers the "dream team",
includes the leader of the second largest Muslim organization
Muhammadiyah Ahmad Syafii Ma'arif on its board of advisors along
with Tempo magazine cofounder Goenawan Muhamad, former education
minister Yahya Muhaimin and scholar Dawam Rahardjo.

Former finance minister Bambang Sudibyo is listed as Amien's
head campaign manager while political analyst Rizal Sukma of the
Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) will be
tasked with drawing up the overall campaign strategy.

Wiranto-Solahuddin will have the PKB deputy leader Mahfud MD
along with Golkar's Slamet Effendy Yusuf and Gen. (ret) Fachrul
Razi, a former military chief of general affairs.

In an odd twist, Golkar included Marwah on the Wiranto-
Solahuddin campaign team. Although many expect the KPU to rule
out the PKB's candidates, likely because of Abdurrahman's failure
to pass the mandatory medical examination, Marwah is still the
former president's running mate pending KPU's announcement of
eligible candidates on Saturday. On Golkar's list she is tasked
with coordinating campaigns throughout southern Sulawesi.

KPU member Anas said her involvement with Golkar would be no
problem, as she was not yet declared an eligible vice
presidential candidate.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has named
its secretary-general Sucipto as head of its presidential
campaign team, while NU deputy chairman Ahmad Bagja will be his
deputy. The list also includes other top PDI-P brass such as Roy
BB Janis, Pramono Anung Wibowo and Theo Syafe'i.

The leading pair of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Jusuf Kalla,
nominated by the new, yet surprisingly successful (third in
number of House seats) Democratic Party, the Crescent Star Party
(PBB) and the Indonesian Justice and Unity Party (PKPI), named
PBB secretary-general MS Ka'ban to its team along with Democratic
Party leader S. Budi Santoso among others.

Campaign team line-up

Candidates campaign team members

Wiranto-Solahuddin Akbar Tandjung

Slamet Effendy Yusuf

Marwah Daud Ibrahim

Sri Redjeki Soemarjoto

Amien-Siswono Syafii Ma'arif

Bambang Soedibjo

Rizal Sukma

Abdul Munir Mulkhan

Mega-Hasyim Sucipto

Ahmad Bagja

Pramono Anung Wibowo

Noer Muhammad Iskandar SQ

Susilo-Kalla S. Budi Santoso

Rahmat Witoelar

John Palinggi

MS Ka'ban