Mon, 01 Mar 1999

Parties begin naming presidential candidates

JAKARTA (JP): Around 100,000 supporters of the National Awakening Party (PKB) packed the Senayan sports stadium in Jakarta Sunday to mark the opening of the party's congress.

PKB's presidential candidate, Abdurrahman Wahid, who is also chairman of Indonesia's biggest Muslim organization, the 30- million-strong Nahdlatul Ulama, pledged in his speech to create a clean government and end the economic crisis if PKB won the June 7 elections.

"The economic crisis will be solved by PKB if we win the elections and we will choose qualified officials for our government," Abdurrahman told his supporters, waving banners and blowing plastic trumpets, who had flocked to the Senayan soccer stadium since early morning.

"The PKB is ready to win the elections in order to destroy collusion, corruption and nepotism," said Abdurrahman, who is better known as Gus Dur.

The party's chairman is Matori Abdul Djalil, but party officials said Abdurrahman was expected to run as the PKB presidential candidate after the elections even though he has been sick recently.

The PKB is one of the stronger contenders in the planned June elections, along with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle led by Megawati Soekarnoputri, and the National Mandate Party (PAN) led by Muslim reformist Amien Rais. Both Megawati and Amien are also presidential hopefuls.

The elections, the first since the fall of president Soeharto last May, is expected to be the most open in Indonesia for decades. The new upper House, the People's Consultative Assembly, will then elect a new president around November.

President B.J. Habibie's ruling Golkar Party, which has been tainted by its links to former president Soeharto, is not expected to fare well in the elections.

Golkar's executive A.A. Baramuli, however, was quoted by Antara as saying Saturday in Sampit, Central Kalimantan, that only Habibie is the most suitable presidential candidate because of his capability and leadership, and his "incomparable" love for the Indonesian people.

"Habibie is the best and there's none like him, which is why Golkar is firm in its decision to nominate him," Baramuli told thousands of party supporters. "Golkar will have only one candidate, namely Habibie, no alternatives."

Another Golkar executive, Aulia Rachman, however, said the party would formally name its candidates in its congress in Jakarta from March 8 to March 12. The event will be preceded by the official launching of Golkar as a party at Senayan sports stadium on March 7.

Meanwhile, the Crescent Star Party (PBB) concluded on Sunday its congress by issuing 10 presidential nominees, all party executives.

They are Ahmad Sumargono (deputy chairman), Abdul Qadir Djaelani (deputy chairman), Amanullah (the chairman of the party's Central Java chapter), Farid Prawiranegara, Fuad Amsyari, Hartono Mardjono (deputy chairman), Kholil Ridwan, M. Ja'far Haruna, Yusril Ihza Mahendra (the chairman of PBB), and Yusuf Amir Faisal. (01)