Jakarta's campaign teams all hoping for big win

Jakarta's campaign teams all hoping for big win

Bambang Nurbianto
Jakarta

Jakarta-based campaign teams for the candidates running for
presidency are recruiting new personnel to offset the weaknesses
some experienced during the April 5 legislative election.

The pairing of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Jusuf Kalla is
currently a favorite, according to recent surveys, and their
campaign member Herry Suprapto said that his pair would get the
largest chunk of the votes in Jakarta.

He believes his team can take the Democratic Party's (PD)
strategy in luring a large number of Jakartan voters as it was
able to do in the April election where it finished in a virtual
tie for first with the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), which does
not have a candidate. "We will still sell Susilo's popularity in
our campaign," he added.

Herry, a Democratic Party executive, said that the involvement
of other parties, like the Crescent Star Party (PBB) and Jusuf's
supporters from both the largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul
Ulama (NU), and the Golkar Party (he was one of their
presidential candidates until he bowed out on the eve of the
final convention) would be a very strong combination.

From the Amien Rais-Siswono Yudohusodo, Ahmad Ridwan said that
his team had learned lessons from the National Mandate Party's
(PAN) weak showing in Jakarta during the legislative vote. "I
believe that the new personnel on the Amien-Siswono team will
make us stronger," he said.

Team chairman Achmad Somad Karim said his team now had 132
campaigners, 60 percent of whom were from PAN and Muhammadiyah,
the rest from six other minor parties.

Mughni Mahmud of the incumbent President Megawati
Soekarnoputri-Hasyim Muzadi campaign team said they would exploit
the NU figures to win more votes. They are running under the
banner of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

PDI-P and PAN both had mediocre results in the legislative
election in the capital as PDI-P slid from first in 1999 to third
place in 2004 and PAN from second to sixth.

Mughni said PDI-P executives would try to maintain voters from
the April poll while NU's executives here would try to convince
followers to vote for the pair because Muzadi is one of the top
NU leaders.

He said NU executives had intensified their contacts with
voters through gatherings like tahlilan (traditional group
prayer) and an istighosah (large prayer gathering).

Mughni, however, must compete with at least three other
tickets -- Susilo-Kalla, Wiranto-Solahuddin Wahid and Hamzah Haz-
Agum Gumelar -- who are also vying for NU votes. Claiming more
than 40 million members, NU's votes will likely be split among
four top NU figures among the five pairs of presidential
candidates: Muzadi, the NU chairman; Solahuddin, an NU leader;
Hamzah from a prominent NU family and Jusuf Kalla.

Chairman of the Hamzah-Agum campaign team Ahmad Suaidy stated
however, that he was optimistic that most NU members in Jakarta
would vote for his ticket because they were traditional
supporters of the United Development Party (PPP) chaired by
Hamzah. Also, he said, some 30 percent of Jakarta voters, like
Agum, are Sundanese. "It is part of our campaign strategy to
approach them," he said.

Enggard Joshua of the Wiranto-Solahuddin camp said that
Solahuddin's supporters would, at least, maintain the 5.3 percent
of National Awakening Party's (PKB) votes from the legislative
election, which was founded by NU leaders.

He said apart from expecting support from PKB and Golkar, his
team would also get support from members of many organizations
that are supporters of Wiranto.

Composition of parties' seats at the City Council after the 1999
and 2004 elections

No. ! Party ! 2004 ! 1999
-------------------------------------------------------------
1. Prosperous Justice Party 18 4 **
2. Democratic Party 16 *
3. Indonesian Democratic 11 30

Party of Struggle
4. Golkar Party 7 8
5. United Development Party 6 12
6. National Mandate Party 6 13
7. Prosperous Peace Party 4 *
8. National Awakening Party 4 3
9. Reform Star Party 3 *
-------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Jakarta General Election Commission.
* New party, did not exist in 1999
** In 1999, known as the Justice Party (PK)