Mega, Hasyim receive support from NU youth organizations
Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta
Leaders of youth organizations affiliated to the country's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), threw their support behind Megawati Soekarnoputri and Hasyim Muzadi on Tuesday, boosting their chances in the election runoff.
They called on members of their respective organizations to vote for Megawati and Hasyim, who they said was the only NU member vying for one of the country's top posts.
"We call on all NU followers to vote for the Megawati-Hasyim pairing in the runoff on Sept. 20," said Andi M. Ramly, an advisor to a number of NU youth organizations, including GP Ansor.
Other figures who support the pair are, among others, NU deputy chairmen Andi Jamaro and Ahmad Bagdja, National Awakening Party (PKB) deputy chairman Khofifah Indar Parawansa, NU Female Youth Fatayat chairwoman Maria Ulfa Masfufah and NU Students Association (IPNU) head Syamsuddin M. Pay.
"We also call on NU members and supporters, especially influential clerics who run Islamic boarding schools, to support and pray for the victory of the Megawati-Hasyim pairing," Andi said at a media conference.
NU, which has around 40 million members nationwide, supported Gen. (ret) Wiranto and running mate Solahuddin Wahid in the July 5 election. The pair, however, failed to make it to the second round.
NU and PKB leaders showed support for Megawati and Hasyim apparently after influential cleric Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid met with Megawati a few days ago.
Andi said the support for the pairing was due to Megawati's running mate, Hasyim, "being the only NU member to fight for the vice presidential post in the September election".
Separately, Hasyim said on Tuesday that he and Megawati expected to win the support of NU members in the runoff.
Hasyim, who has just returned from going on a pilgrimage in Mecca, said he and Megawati would intensify their approach to NU members.
The KPU declared on Monday that Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Megawati would vie for the presidency in the second round of the election.
The commission said that Susilo and running mate Jusuf Kalla had garnered 39,838 million votes, or 33.57 percent of 118.6 million valid ballots, while Mega and Hasyim came in second with 31.5 million votes, or 26.6 percent.
Hasyim said on Tuesday that he was grateful that the pair had make it to the second round.
He noted that their success would be followed by hard work to win the support of NU members so as to gain the final victory.
Meanwhile, Mega Center team member Irma Hutabarat said that in addition to winning the support of NU members, the team would try to woo voters whose presidential candidates had failed to advance to the second round of the election.
"We are going to woo supporters of Wiranto, Amien Rais and Hamzah Haz," Irma was quoted as saying by Antara.