Major parties fight over Susilo
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Semarang
Political parties are rushing to court Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono following his resignation from President Megawati Soekarnoputri's Cabinet on Thursday.
The National Awakening Party (PKB), the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the Crescent Star Party (PBB) all said on Friday they were interested in having Susilo be either their presidential or vice presidential candidate for the July 5 presidential election.
The three parties won a total of 20 percent of the seats in the House of Representatives in the 1999 elections.
PKB legislative candidate Masduki Baidlawi said on Friday Susilo could be an alternative candidate for Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid should the former president be unable to contest the presidency because of health problems.
The party, according to Masduki, who is deputy chairman of the country's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), has already approached Susilo, although the NU's influential clerics also are eying NU chairman Hasyim Muzadi for the position.
"Listening to the aspirations within the PKB, Susilo is considered to be the most suitable person to replace Gus Dur, but the NU clerics want Pak Hasyim to be in that position," Masduki told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
Susilo resigned from the Cabinet on Thursday after accusing Megawati of taking over his duties as coordinating minister for political and security affairs.
Polls suggest that the retired four-star Army general could pose a serious challenge to Megawati's quest to win a full five- year mandate in the upcoming election. The Democratic Party has already said that Susilo will be its presidential candidate should the party qualify to contest the election.
The PKB, which was set up by NU leaders ahead of the elections in 1999, had said that it wants Gus Dur, who was president until being impeached for incompetence in 2001 and replaced by his vice president, Megawati, to be its presidential candidate in the July 5 election, which will be the country's first ever direct presidential election.
Susilo met with Gus Dur soon after he announced his resignation from the Cabinet on Thursday.
Gus Dur's spokesman Adhi M. Massardi said Susilo could be the front-runner for the PKB's presidential nomination should Gus Dur decide not to run for the presidency.
"Gus Dur gets along very well with Susilo. Even when he was still president, Gus Dur used to entrust many governmental duties to Susilo," Adhi said.
PAN leader Amien Rais said in Semarang, Central Java, on Friday that he wanted Susilo to be his vice presidential running mate in the July 5 election.
"But I have yet to discuss it with him," said Amien, who is also speaker of the People' Consultative Assembly.
PAN, Amien said, listed 10 possible vice presidential candidates during its national meeting in Makassar, South Sulawesi, last year. These included Susilo, Minister of Transportation Agum Gumelar and Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla of the Golkar Party.
PBB leader Yusril Ihza Mahendra said on Friday he had met with Susilo before his resignation to discuss the possibility of forming a coalition.
"I met with him before he resigned, but we have yet to make any deal. We will see after the legislative election," he said after attending a campaign stop for his party in Bulungan, South Jakarta.