NU officials court presidential hopefuls
NU officials court presidential hopefuls
Kurniawan Hari and Indra Harsaputra, Jakarta/Surabaya
The Golkar Party agreed on Monday to devote its energies to
forging a coalition with the National Awakening Party (PKB) to
win the presidential election.
The party will also select whoever is approved by PKB
cofounder Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid as the running mate for
Wiranto, who won the Golkar convention last week.
Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung said he and Wiranto would visit
Gus Dur in the coming two or three days to ask for his preferred
candidate for Wiranto's running mate.
"We need a coalition with a party with strong support both in
the grassroots and the House of Representatives to ensure victory
and a stable government," Akar said after a meeting between top
Golkar executives and Wiranto, the first of its kind since the
convention. The meeting ended 11:30 p.m.
Both Akbar and Wiranto acknowledged Gus Dur as a national
figure and PKB leader to reckon with.
"We need a vice presidential candidate whom he endorses," said
former Indonesian Military chief Wiranto, who has met Gus Dur
several times recently.
In Surabaya, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) began on Monday a halaqoh
(national ulema gathering), which has invited five presidential
candidates who are expected to be pitted against each other in
the July 5 election.
President Megawati Soekarnoputri was the first to turn up as
she opened the event at Somerset Hotel on Monday evening.
Megawati, who is the presidential candidate from the
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), met with NU
chairman Hasyim Muzadi and 24 influential NU clerics, including
Abdullah Faqih and Masduki Mahfud, shortly after the ceremony.
No official statement, however, was given following the
meeting.
Other presidential candidates, Amien Rais, Wiranto and Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono, will arrive on Tuesday to speak in the ensuing
seminar on public participation in the first direct presidential
election.
Megawati, Amien of the National Mandate Party (PAN), Wiranto
of the Golkar Party and Susilo of the Democratic Party are
expected to contest the first-ever presidential election. Susilo
is the only aspirant to have disclosed a running mate.
Hasyim has reportedly been courted by the PDI-P and Golkar,
but said on Monday no party had officially asked him to contest
the election as a running mate of its presidential candidate.
"Let's just wait and see because even I do not know when (to
make a decision). The NU is not in a position to determine its
preferred presidential and vice presidential candidates," Hasyim
said.
In her opening speech, Megawati asked the elected president to
terminate their loyalty to whatever political party they came
from but emerge as a leader to serve the nation.
"The elected president and vice president should no longer
fall under the influence of other state institutions or parties
that supported their election," the President told the audience.
Like previous presidents, Megawati did not resign as PDI-P
chairwoman, at the party's request. Only the founding president,
her father Sukarno, switched loyalty from his party to the
nation.