Former Megawati aide vows to topple her

A. Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A former aide to Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) leader Megawati Soekarnoputri has vowed to dump her from the presidency in this year's elections.

"It is my intellectual and moral obligation (to oust Megawati) due to her failure to run the government properly," Erros Djarot, a former writer for Megawati, said during a visit to The Jakarta Post here on Wednesday.

There are no hard feelings in this endeavor, he said, only an absolute love for Indonesia.

Naming marhaenism as the main principle of his party, the Freedom Bull National Party (PNBK), Erros listed the party's main programs: job creation, universal education, improved health services and more public housing.

Marhaenism is the Indonesian style of socialism founded by the nation's first president and Megawati's father, Sukarno. Erros said he believed the ideology still fit the country.

Erros, a former member of PDI-P's research and development department, was a chairman candidate at the PDI-P's congress in the Central Java town of Semarang three years ago. The congress reelected Megawati as the party's leader, and Erros was eventually dumped from the party.

Refusing to attack Megawati personally, the former film director and songwriter blamed the nation's problems on the President's inability to establish sound policies. This weakness, he said, had created distrust among the people.

Erros, who was also chief editor of the now defunct Detik political tabloid, is targeting swing voters who used to support Megawati's party.

"The hard-core PDI-P voters only account for between 4 and 9 percent of voters. We are hoping to get between 6 percent and 12 percent of the vote during the elections," he said.

In the 1999 elections, PDI-P won about 30 percent of the vote for the House of Representatives, making it the leading vote- getter. It was followed by the Golkar Party with about 23 percent of the vote.

Many disappointed PDI-P supporters in East Java and Bali, including former Megawati aide Haryanto Taslam, have reportedly switched allegiance to the PNBK.

The new party is also rumored to have the support of businesses in Tangerang and Banten, a former minister and a prominent businessperson with presidential aspirations.

But Erros was adamant that he did not have close ties with businesspeople.

"We do not receive any funds from businesses. We are a self- financed party," Erros said.

Asked if his party's programs would attract voters, Erros said that programs were not the most important thing a party could offer.

"Offering programs will not significantly influence the campaign as many parties are doing the same thing. The important thing is how we can get closer to the people."

Accorind to surveys, at least 27 percent of the total 140 million voters are yet to decide which party they will vote for.

The legislative election will be held on April 5 and the first round of the country's first direct presidential election will take place on July 5. If no presidential candidate wins a simple majority, a runoff will be held on Sept. 20.