Candidates set to race for PAN chairmanship

Candidates set to race for PAN chairmanship

Suherdjoko, The Jakarta Post, Semarang

Five candidates competing for the leadership of the National
Mandate Party (PAN) have passed the selection process to join the
race at the party's congress beginning on Thursday, according to
an official.

The candidates are businessman Soetrisno Bachir, Minister of
Transportation Hatta Radjasa, former minister of finance Fuad
Bawazier, economist Didik J. Rachbini, and Afni Ahmad.

"They have fulfilled the criteria," said organizing committee
head Hakam Naja here on Wednesday.

He pointed out that one of the criteria was that each
candidate had to be supported by at least four officials of PAN's
provincial branches (DPW), and 40 officials of PAN's
regency/mayoralty branches (DPD).

PAN has 450 DPDs and 30 DPWs.

The party, which was set up in 1998 following the stepping
down of the country's former authoritarian leader Soeharto, is
holding its second congress in Semarang, Central Java, to select
a new leader. The party is the fifth largest faction in the House
of Representatives and is linked to the country's second largest
Muslim organization Muhammadiyah.

Current PAN chairman Amien Rais, who lost last year's
presidential election in the first round, has decided not to join
the race, to allow younger cadres to lead and prepare the party
to compete in the 2009 general election.

Naja said that the organizing committee was still waiting for
two other candidates Muslim Abdurrahman and Samuel Kotto to
register. "As of this afternoon, the two have not registered.
What is certain is that the names of all candidates who have
passed our criteria will be submitted to the plenary session of
the congress."

He dismissed reports of candidates practicing money politics
to buy votes in order to win the leadership race. Rumor has it
that one candidate had promised Rp 3 million for each vote.

"I'm certain that there is no money politics involved. If the
rumors can be proven, then the candidate in question will be
disqualified," Naja said.

Among the candidates, Soetrisno Bachir seems to be the
strongest. Bambang Sudibyo, a former minister of finance and one
of the founders of the party, said that Soetrisno was the best
suited to lead PAN for the next five years.

In an apparent show of support for Soetrisno, Amien attended
on Wednesday a gathering in Yogyakarta held by Soetrisno's camp
to drum up support for their candidate. Amien, however, declined
to comment on his involvement.

Another prominent candidate, minister Hatta Radjasa, has been
facing strong criticism from Amien and Muhammadiyah leaders, who
have demanded he resign from the Cabinet before joining the PAN
leadership race.

There are concerns that if Hatta wins, he would push PAN to
support the current administration of President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono as happened with Golkar Party, which ended its
opposition role in the House after Vice President Jusuf Kalla
took over the party's leadership in December last year.