Parties prepare potential vote getters

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)