Megawati's dream team woos Jakartans

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta

On Friday the campaign schedule of all presidential and vice presidential candidates placed them outside Jakarta while the campaign team of the incumbent president Megawati Soekarnoputri was scheduled the whole day in the capital's five municipalities.

The team of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI- P) seemed to be making the most of the opportunity, and managed to address packed indoor sport stadiums.

In East Jakarta, around 5,000 people, mostly sporting the party colors with red T-shirts, listened to executives of PDI-P, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), and the Prosperous Peace Party (PDS). NU is led by its current chairman Hasyim Muzadi, Megawati's running mate, who is non-active as NU leader during the campaign.

The campaigners expressed optimism that the pair would get over 50 percent of some 150 million votes in the country's first direct presidential poll on July 5.

"With your support, Megawati-Hasyim will emerge as the winners in the election and there will then be no runoff," said Achmad Zein Saidy of NU, referring to the expected runoff in September.

Other campaigners included PDI-P's secretary-general Soetjipto, PDI-P councillor Muhammd Nakoem, chairman of the PDS' Jakarta chapter Bens Sitompul.

Soetjipto praised Megawati's success in her three-year administration. He said the Megawati' administration had been able to lay a strong foundation for the economic recovery.

The campaign featured traditional Betawi dances and the Chinese lion dance.