Cracks found in Golkar, PDI-P over election runoff

Cracks found in Golkar, PDI-P over election runoff

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta

Over 60 Golkar Party politicians and former and active members of
the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) have defied
their leaders to pledge their support for Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono in the presidential election runoff in September.

A Susilo strategist, Suko Sudarso, said on Tuesday the Golkar
and PDI-P politicians were expected to meet on Thursday evening
at the house of PDI-P legislator Arifin Panigoro in South Jakarta
to further discuss plans to help Susilo win the runoff on Sept.
20.

"We hope that the support for Pak Bambang will shape up after
the meeting, and the day after (the meeting) we will issue a
joint statement expressing our political stance," Suko, a former
PDI-P member, said after a meeting with Golkar politicians.

The preliminary meeting at the Regent Hotel on Tuesday was
attended by Fahmi Idris, Marzuki Darusman, Priyo Budi Santoso,
Andi Matalatta and Burhanuddin Napitupulu of Golkar, and PDI-P's
Julius Usman.

Another PDI-P member, Sophan Sophiaan, will also come out in
support of Susilo, according to Suko. Sophan stepped down from
the House of Representatives in 2002 out of frustration with his
faction's refusal to support a motion to form a special committee
of inquiry into a graft case involving House Speaker and Golkar
Party leader Akbar Tandjung.

This new development comes on the heels of intensified
contacts between PDI-P presidential candidate Megawati
Soekarnoputri and Akbar. The two have met three times since the
July 5 presidential election, which saw Megawati finish second
behind Susilo.

Megawati will contest the runoff if the Constitutional Court
dismisses a legal challenge filed by Golkar's presidential
candidate Wiranto against the election result.

Golkar deputy chairman Fahmi said some of the party's leaders
had opted to support Susilo because they believed he could bring
reform to the country.

He accused Megawati of wasting the mandate the People's
Consultative Assembly entrusted her with three years ago.

PDI-P member Julius shared Fahmi's view, saying Megawati had
failed to put the reform agenda back on track during her time in
office.

Fahmi also claimed the majority of Golkar executives at the
party's provincial and regency chapters in Sulawesi, except North
Sulawesi, Kalimantan, except West Kalimantan, and Java, except
East Java, had voiced their support for Susilo and his running
mate Jusuf Kalla, who is a member of Golkar.

The Susilo-Kalla pairing is running under the banner of the
upstart Democratic Party. They finished first in the July 5 polls
with 39,838,184 votes, ahead of Megawati and running mate Hasyim
Muzadi with 31,569,104 votes.

Fahmi, however, expressed doubt whether the decision by the
politicians to support Susilo would have any affect at the
grassroots level, especially if Akbar formed a coalition with
Megawati.

Another Golkar executive, Theo L. Sambuaga, said this
development did not signal an internal rift within the party.

"Even though our party has yet to officially decide which
presidential ticket we will support, I suggest it would be more
strategic for us to vote for the Megawati-Hasyim pairing," Theo
said.