PAN supporters veto Golkar deal

PAN supporters veto Golkar deal

SEMARANG: Thousands of National Mandate Party (PAN) supporters
in the province have threatened to switch allegiances if leader
Amien Rais accepts offers to form a coalition with Golkar.

PAN's Central Java deputy chairman Budi Hartanto said on
Monday the party supporters believed Golkar was indistinguishable
from former president Soeharto, who stepped down in May last year
following a wave of student demonstrations.

Amien was a prominent critic of Soeharto and an advocate of a
changing of the political guard.

"As a reform party, PAN is both far different from and
irreconcilable with Golkar," Budi said. "If PAN and Golkar strike
a coalition deal, I will resign and dozens of PAN branches in
regencies across the province will disband."

Budi said he was not disappointed with PAN's poor showing in
the polls, noting the party was only 10 months old.

A few days earlier, about 500 young PAN supporters in
Surakarta, about 70 kilometers southeast of here, staged a rally
against a PAN-Golkar coalition.

Amien has dismissed the possibility of PAN joining forces
with Golkar, at least until after final poll results are
announced on July 8. (har)