Guruh won't campaign for any party

JAKARTA (JP): Guruh Soekarnoputra, a senior member of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) and younger brother of ousted chief Megawati Soekarnoputri, declared yesterday he will not campaign for any of the political parties contesting the general elections in May.

"I will not campaign for PDI either," he said during the breaking of the fast meal at his residence in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta. "I will concentrate on my activities as an artist."

Guruh, who has acted as a PDI vote getter since the 1982 general elections, cited unsettled disputes within the PDI as the reason why he would not campaign for the minority party.

Megawati insists that she is the lawful leader, and not Soerjadi, who ousted her in a government-backed congress last June in Medan.

When asked about his close relationship with Kosgoro, the business wing of the ruling Golkar, he said it had nothing to do with the election. His seemingly close ties were "merely for business and entertainment," he said.

Guruh, the fifth of former president Sukarno's five children with Fatmawati, grabbed the public's attention in October when it was rumored that he would jump ship to Golkar. Since then he has secured business deals, mainly in the entertainment field, with Kosgoro.

Due to his influence in Indonesian politics, Guruh is reportedly being wooed by the three political contestants -- the ruling Golkar, the United Development Party (PPP) and the PDI.

The three groupings will vie for the available 425 seats of the overall 500 seats in the House of Representatives (DPR) this year.

Guruh, who celebrated his 44th birthday yesterday, is now chairman of Gencar Semarak Perkasa Production, which organizes art and cultural exhibitions. He said that he was willing to help all of the parties in the field of entertainment, but that he would not campaign for any of them.

He added that he has not decided who to vote for.

"I will tell you when the time comes," he said.

He also said that he and his family would soon hold a meeting to discuss the Sukarno family's position on the general elections. (imn)