Golkar mulls partnering PKB in presidential election

Golkar mulls partnering PKB in presidential election

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Confident of winning the April 5 legislative elections, Golkar is
now looking for suitable political parties with which to forge a
coalition for the upcoming presidential election.

Some party leaders say the party will approach the National
Awakening Party (PKB) and Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama
(NU) to find a suitable running mate for Golkar's presidential
candidate, who will be chosen by the party's April 20 convention.

Golkar deputy chairman Mahadi Sinambela said on Thursday that
his party would approach parties that were unlikely to nominate a
candidate in the July 5 direct presidential election.

"We will forge a coalition with political parties that are not
nominating their own presidential candidates," Mahadi said.

However, the PKB, which was founded by the country's largest
Muslim organization, the NU, has publicly announced that it will
nominate former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid in the July
5 presidential election.

Golkar, the political machine of former autocrat Soeharto, is
leading the provisional tally of votes in the April 5 legislative
elections, garnering 20.92 percent of the 18,488,364 votes
counted thus far. Trailing behind is the Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle (PDI-P) with 19.73 percent, and the PKB with
12.09 percent.

Slamet Effendi Jusuf said on Thursday that his party had
secured at least 93 seats in the House of Representatives (DPR)
and expected 39 others based on the party's own calculations.

"The number of seats may increase because the vote count is
not yet over," said Slamet, the party's campaign chief.

Mahadi said Vice President Hamzah Haz's United Development
Party (PPP), which is currently fourth in the provisional tally,
could join the coalition although it would not be able to
contribute significant support.

Meanwhile, deputy secretary general Bomer Pasaribu said that
any coalition should be built with a view to creating a strong
and effective government.

Dividing political parties into three groups -- the leftist-
nationalist parties, the moderate-pluralistic parties, and the
religious parties -- Bomer said that Golkar would benefit from
its status as a moderate and pluralistic party.

"Golkar will play a pivotal role in any political coalition.
Any coalition must comprise three or four parties," he said.

According to Bomer, a coalition between Golkar and the newly
established Democratic Party would create a strong and effective
government given the fact that the duo of Akbar Tandjung and
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono would represent the Java and non-Java
aspects, as well as the civilian and military aspects.

Mahadi, however, said that an Akbar-Susilo duo seemed
impossible as the former coordinating minister for political and
security affairs would also be running for the presidency.

He suggested that four figures would run for the country's top
post -- current President Megawati Soekarnoputri of the PDI-P,
Amien Rais of the National Mandate Party (PAN), Susilo of the
Democratic Party, and Akbar.

Mahadi said that Golkar leaders were optimistic their
presidential candidate would win a ticket to the second round of
the presidential election, which is scheduled for Sept. 20.

"We are optimistic of going through to the second round. We
will make the necessary political moves," he said without going
into details.

The country will hold its first ever direct presidential
election on July 5, with a probable run-off for the two top
candidates on Sept. 20.