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)