PDI-P to reconfirm Megawati nomination

PDI-P to reconfirm Megawati nomination

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
Perjuangan) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri opened a closed-
door leadership meeting on Sunday, which is expected to reconfirm
the party's nomination of her as its presidential candidate.

The party's deputy chairman, Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno, said
all attendants at the three-day national convention, the first
since the June 7 general election, would renew their pledge to
make Megawati's presidential campaign a success.

"Her nomination was mandated by the party's previous congress,
so we hope everybody will stick to what was decided by the
congress," Soetardjo said.

Members of PDI Perjuangan's executive board and the party's
provincial leaders were present at the opening session.

Soetardjo said the meeting would draw up the criteria for
candidates to fill seats in the House of Representatives won by
the party from its leftover votes, as stipulated by the General
Elections Commission (KPU).

He refused to confirm whether party leaders would discuss a
coalition arrangement with other parties, saying they would wait
until the KPU announced the official poll results. The
announcement is tentatively scheduled for July 25.

Attendants will also evaluate the party's performance across
the country, according to Soetardjo, the only member of the
party's inner circle who was willing to discuss the meeting,
albeit not in detail.

Deputy chairman Dimyati Hartono, secretary-general Alex Litaay
and his deputy Haryanto Taslam were all unwilling to discuss the
meeting.

Megawati was tight-lipped when she was greeted by a throng of
domestic and foreign journalists at Griya Wiyata Hotel in Depok,
West Java, the venue for the meeting. She kept the journalists
waiting downstairs and passed unnoticed through a different
corridor to reach the convention room.

The meeting was so closed that organizers canceled a five-
minute session for photographers and cameramen.

Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun quoted Megawati in its Saturday
edition as saying she was the people's choice to be the country's
fourth president.

"It is the desire of the majority of the people that I become
the next president," Megawati said in the exclusive interview.

According to a preliminary count by the National Elections
Committee, PDI Perjuangan won 33.7 percent of the vote and an
estimated 154 seats in the House in the general election. The
ruling Golkar Party gained 22.4 percent of the vote and an
estimated 120 House seats.

However, despite PDI Perjuangan's victory, the race for the
presidency remains wide open due to the electoral system, which
for the past three decades favored the ruling party.

Although runner-up in the elections, Golkar's presidential
candidate, incumbent B.J. Habibie, could benefit from 200
appointed representatives in the 700-strong People's Consultative
Assembly, which will elect a president and vice president in
November.

All 500 elected members of the House serve as legislators in
the Assembly.

In Yogyakarta, National Mandate Party (PAN) chairman Amien
Rais hinted his party would join a coalition which excluded both
PDI Perjuangan and Golkar in a bid to avoid a deadlock in the
presidential election.

"Choosing either Megawati or Habibie may result in many
problems, (because) they have fanatical supporters. This sort of
disastrous rivalry is what we have to avoid," Amien said after
addressing the Muslim Journalist Forum.

Amien said the prospective members of the coalition, which he
called the "middle group" or "reform axis", could come out the
winner in the race for presidency due to their 187 seats in the
House.

PAN, which according to preliminary poll results won 35 seats
in the House, signed a joint communique agreeing not to vote for
Habibie in the presidential election with the Muslim-based United
Development Party (PPP) and Justice Party (PK). These two parties
won 39 seats and one seat in the House, respectively.

Amien said National Awakening Party (PKB) founder Abdurrahman
Wahid agreed with the planned coalition.(44/amd)