Megawati receives more support

Megawati receives more support

JAKARTA (JP): Justice and Unity Party chairman Edi Sudrajat
threw the weight of his party behind the Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) presidential candidate
Megawati Soekarnoputri on Saturday.

"We need a new leader and new government which is totally cut
from the New Order and I think Megawati is the person," said Edi,
a former defense and security minister, after a two-hour closed-
door meeting with Megawati.

Megawati deserves the presidential chair as her party was the
single largest winner of votes (more than 30 percent) in the June
7 election, he said.

"PDI Perjuangan's win of plurality in the polls shows that the
majority of people chose her to be their new leader," added Edi,
one of Habibie's strongest critics.

Edi's party is one of four political parties which make up the
Indonesian Nationhood faction at the MPR with 16 seats. The other
three party members are the Indonesian Democratic Party, the IPKI
Party and the Justice and Unity party.

However, the faction's chairman Sutradara Ginting said that
Edi's meeting with Megawati was "merely friendly talks to discuss
various issues related to the MPR General Session.

"We didn't particularly discuss the presidential race but ...
we might arrange official support for a certain candidate," added
Ginting, who also attended the meeting.

Megawati denied the notion that the meeting was designed to
clinch a back-door deal between her party and the faction.

"We only discussed the recent political developments in the
country," Megawati said.

Megawati is expected to compete with incumbent President B.J.
Habibie, who was nominated by the Golkar party, and leader of the
35-million-strong Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama Abdurrahman
Wahid, who was nominated by the Reform faction, an alliance of
the National Mandate Party and the Justice Party.

Edi welcomed the nomination of Gus Dur, as Wahid is known,
saying it was better to have more than one candidate.

He added that he would strive to prevent Habibie from leading
the nation for a second time.

Separately, political analyst Cornelis Lay of the Gadjah Mada
University in Yogyakarta, said on Saturday that Megawati might be
in a big trouble if Gus Dur did enter the presidential battle.

"However, if Gus Dur resigns from the race, no other candidate
would be able to defeat Megawati," Lay said.

He cautioned, however, that the situation is too fluid to
allow for a reliable prediction of who would really fight in the
presidential battle.

Gus Dur told reporters on Friday night that he had yet to get
a green light from his senior Muslim scholars in East Java, and
they would make their decision only on the eve of the
presidential race.

Fear of clashes

Meanwhile, chairman of the University of Indonesia Alumni
Association Azrul Azwar, urged the three presidential candidates
to make public speeches to calm their respective supporters.

"We made this appeal after detecting the mobilization of
masses around the MPR building," Azwar said after a meeting with
MPR chairman Amien Rais on Saturday.

Azwar warned that if the political leaders could not cool down
the emotions of their respective supporters, violent clashes
could erupt after the presidential race.

Amien shared the association's concern and promised to have
the presidential candidates and the MPR leaders issue joint
statements to calm their respective supporters.

The MPR chairman also agreed that the decisions which would be
taken at the coming MPR General Session, which starts on
Thursday, should be effective in preventing national
disintegration.

"Our nation is now on the brink of national disintegration and
this potential disaster can be prevented only if the political
elite is willing to sit down with a cool head to resolve all
problems that threaten national unity," added Amien, who is also
chairman of the National Mandate Party.

In Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi, communication expert at
Hasanuddin University, Prof. A Muis, said on Saturday that of the
three presidential candidates, Gus Dur was the most skillful in
using the media.

"Gus Dur outdid Megawati and Habibie in building up positive
public opinion through the mass media to enhance his political
posture," Muis told The Jakarta Post.

According to Muis, if Habibie and Megawati did not change
their political communications strategy, Gus Dur could emerge as
the most favorite candidate in the eyes of international and
local communities.

Megawati's silence is a big problem, he said. "If she does not
clearly convey her ideas to the public, people may doubt her
ability."

Habibie, according to Muis, is democratic enough, but his
skill to manage issues is far below Gus Dur.

Gus Dur has always been the focus of media attention because
of his prowess to throw up controversial issues, said Muis. "The
media like it very much. And, from the public opinion point of
view, his maneuvering benefits him. (emf/44/27)