Hasyim keeps Golkar waiting
Kurniawan Hari and Yuli Tri Suwarni, Jakarta/Bandung
The urging of Golkar Party chairman Akbar Tandjung and presidential candidate Wiranto was not enough to convince Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) leader Hasyim Muzadi to accept the party's vice presidential offer.
Hasyim asked both Akbar and Wiranto to consult senior NU clerics and members of the organization's law making body on Friday, saying he was not in a position to respond to the proposal.
"The offer will be decided by the Majelis Syuriah, NU's law- making body. I suggest Pak Akbar and Pak Wiranto consult the Syuriah. I am just a puppet," Hasyim said after a 40-minute meeting at NU's head office on Jl. Kramat Raya, Central Jakarta.
The noncommittal response may force Golkar to implement its third plan of appointing one of its own leaders to partner its presidential candidate Wiranto.
Earlier on Thursday, Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, cofounder of the National Awakening Party (PKB) also rejected an offer from Akbar and Wiranto to forge a coalition.
Akbar expressed optimism that Hasyim and NU's law-making body would give the nod, claiming that some influential NU clerics had expressed their support for the Wiranto-Hasyim duo.
Akbar said it was too early for the party to talk about the possibility of selecting one of its own members for the vice presidential post.
"The chances (of recruiting Hasyim) are open wide. I know that some clerics have expressed their support," he said.
M. Yahya Zaini, a Golkar politician who is close to Akbar, revealed that among the NU clerics in favor of Hasyim's nomination as Golkar vice presidential candidate were Idris Marzuki from Lirboyo boarding school in Kediri, East Java, and Mutawakil from Krapyak in Yogyakarta.
Akbar and Wiranto said they would soon meet Sahal Mahfudz, chief of NU's law-making body, to discuss the offer.
Hasyim is also being tempted by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) to contest the election as the running mate of Megawati,
Golkar and PDI-P expect that Hasyim's position as chairman of the 40 million-strong NU would help it win the July 5 presidential election. But without the consent of PKB cofounder Gus Dur, who is an influential figure in NU, such a coalition may not materialize.
Megawati is also offering incumbent Vice President Hamzah Haz another coalition.
Separately, chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN) Amien Rais started introducing former transmigration minister Siswono Yudohusodo as his would-be running mate.
Amien acknowledged that some of his supporters had shown resistance to Siswono, whom they said was not a devout Muslim. Amien, however, said such resistance would diminish soon.
"Time is very limited and I don't think I can go 'shopping around' for a running mate. Pak Siswono is a nationalist figure and is not corrupt. He has good managerial skills," Amien said after addressing hundreds of PAN supporters at Panghegar Hotel in Bandung.
Amien was accompanied by campaign chief Din Syamsuddin and movie actor cum politician Dede Yusuf.
Amien reiterated that it would be impossible for him to name a Muslim leader as his running mate given the fact that Indonesia was such a diverse country in terms of religion.