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