Parties prepare potential vote getters
JAKARTA (JP): Some of the top contenders in the June 7 general election are fielding their leading campaigners as legislative candidates. In some cases, provincial chapters are racing to nominate the same people.
Megawati Soekarnoputri, the popular chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), for example, is being sought after by chapters in Jakarta, East Java and West Java.
The same situation applies to Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung. Jakarta, Bogor and North Sumatra have expressed their wishes to have him as their legislative candidate.
Neither Megawati or Akbar have made any decisions.
A Golkar executive said the party had listed legislative candidates for all 327 regencies in the country.
"Golkar is ready with its list of candidates who are expected to play decisive roles when the campaign season comes," Mahadi Sinambela, the Golkar representative in the General Elections Commission (KPU), told The Jakarta Post here on Thursday.
He said Theo Sambuaga, Golkar deputy chairman and state minister for housing and settlement, would run as a legislative candidate in his home province of North Sulawesi, while A.A. Baramuli, a member of the party's council board, would campaign and be nominated in South Sulawesi.
Mahadi, who is a Golkar candidate in the Tanjung Balai mayoralty in North Sumatra, said Golkar did not name House Speaker Harmoko, who also is a former chairman of the party, as a legislative candidate "to allow him to concentrate on his duties in the House".
The recent exodus of senior Golkar figures may cause a drop in the party's votes, he said.
A number of senior Golkar figures jumped ship to form their party, including former minister of environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja, former vice president Try Sutrisno, former minister of defense Edi Sudradjat and former sports minister Hayono Isman.
Kwik Kian Gie, a deputy chairman of PDI Perjuangan, refused to reveal the full list of his party's legislative candidates.
Djuhad Mahja, the representative from the United Development Party (PPP) in the elections commission, said party chairman Hamzah Haz would campaign in Jakarta while PPP deputy chairman A.M. Saefuddin would campaign in Bogor, West Java.
"Zarkasih Nur, chairman of the PPP faction in the House of Representatives, will be a legislative candidate from Tangerang, West Java, while Deputy House Speaker Ismail Metareum will campaign in North Sumatra," he said.
He said most legislative candidates would campaign in their hometowns in the hope of winning as many votes as possible.
Mustafa Kamal, the Justice Party representative in the elections commission, said party chairman Nur Mahmudi Ismail would be a legislative candidate for East Java while party secretary-general Anis Matta would be a candidate in his hometown in South Sulawesi.
"This means Nur Mahmudi will campaign in East Java while Pak Anis will do it in South Sulawesi," he said.
Sutradara Ginting, a founding member of the Justice and Unity Party (PKP), said densely populated provinces in Java and Sumatra were "competing" to nominate Try Sutrisno, Edi Sudradjat and Hayono Isman as their legislative candidates.
"North and South Sumatra, Jakarta, West, Central and East Java, Bali and West Nusa Tenggara have proposed to nominate them as their legislative candidates in a move to win as many votes as possible in the elections," he said. (rms)