Mega-Hasyim pairing almost final

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The puzzle over Megawati Soekarnoputri's running mate in the upcoming presidential election was finally solved on Tuesday.

Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) deputy secretary-general Promono Anung Wibowo ascertained that Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) chairman Hasyim Muzadi had agreed to be Megawati's running mate and that the pairing would be officially announced on Thursday.

"Megawati will make the announcement herself on Thursday. We will also invite other presidential aspirants to the event," Pramono said.

Megawati had planned to announce her choice of running mate on Wednesday but delayed it, hoping to meet with Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid first.

Yogyakarta Governor Sultan Hamengkubuwono X was to arrange a meeting between the two public figures, but it did not eventuate.

The sultan said on Tuesday that Megawati called him at 5.15 p.m. to inform him that she would not travel to Yogyakarta since Gus Dur had decided not to attend the meeting.

Hasyim, who chairs the country's largest Muslim organization with a claimed 40 million members, confirmed his readiness to become Megawati's running mate, saying that terms and conditions of his candidacy were being discussed.

"We have decided to pair with Megawati and are discussing terms. We will announce it (the candidacy) as soon as possible," Hasyim said in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, on Tuesday as reported by Antara.

Asked whether he had the blessings of National Awakening Party (PKB) chief patron Gus Dur, Hasyim said he did not need Gus Dur's endorsement as he was entering the race through NU.

Gus Dur, who plays an influential role in the PKB, a political party set up by NU in 1999, has made it clear that he and the PKB would neither endorse nor oppose Hasyim's candidacy.

Hasyim's decision to join forces with the ruling PDI-P will end speculation over who he would pair with in the country's first direct presidential election on July 5.

The winner of the April 5 legislative election, Golkar, had also courted Hasyim as its vice presidential candidate.

Golkar, the political vehicle of former authoritarian Soeharto for more than three decades, is now approaching rights campaigner Solahuddin Wahid, a younger brother of Gus Dur, to pair with its presidential aspirant, Army Gen. (ret) Wiranto, who has been implicated in gross human rights abuses in East Timor in 1999.

A noted analyst warned Megawati on Tuesday not to be overconfident with Hasyim, saying that the NU leader may not be able to boost votes.

Mochtar Pabottingi of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) said the PKB won House of Representatives seats only in about one-third of the country's 32 provinces.

"The idea that the bulk of NU members will support Megawati in the presidential election has led the PDI-P to overlook the fact that the supporters are concentrated only in one-third of the country's provinces," Pabottingi said.

The Elections Law stipulates that the presidential election is won by the pair that secures more than 50 percent of the vote with at least 20 percent of votes in more than half of the country's 32 provinces.

Four other pairs are expected to contest the presidential race. Two former senior ministers -- Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Jusuf Kalla -- will run on the one ticket. Other pairs are Wiranto and his running mate, and Amien Rais with his running mate, who is tipped be former transmigration minister Siswono Yudohusodo.

Meanwhile, Gus Dur said on Tuesday that he had given his blessings to Solahuddin's candidacy but would not campaign for him and Wiranto.

"I have told Wiranto and Solahuddin about this, but I'm not going to campaign for him (Solahuddin)," Gus Dur said after holding a closed-door meeting with several small party leaders grouped under the National Alliance for Democracy and Good Governance.