PKB distances itself from Megawati

JAKARTA (JP): The People's Awakening Party (PKB) has asserted that it does not support Megawati Soekarnoputri and will pick its own candidate in next year's presidential election.

The party -- whose establishment in July was facilitated by Abdurrahman Wahid, the chairman of Indonesia's largest Moslem organization Nahdlatul Ulama and a close ally of Megawati -- also said it was confident that it would win the general election.

Party chairman Matori Abdul Djalil acknowledged the growing opinion that his party would form an alliance with Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) after the general elections in May. He also said some people believed the PKB would support Megawati's bid for the presidency.

"I want to state here that the PKB will name its own presidential candidate in due course," Matori said at a gathering with journalists at the luxury Kartika Chandra hotel here on Friday. He declined to mention any names.

He recalled how a person would be considered a hero if he dared to nominate himself for the presidency during the rule of former president Soeharto.

"Now, someone who nominated himself for the presidency would be considered arrogant," he said, adding that the right time to announce a presidential candidate would be after a party was sure it had won in the election.

"Wouldn't you be embarrassed if you named a candidate only to find out that you have not done well in the election," he said.

Three people have so far emerged as strong candidates for the next presidency. They are Megawati from the PDI, Amien Rais of the National Mandate Party (PAN) and State Minister of Food and Horticulture A.M. Saefuddin, who is also an executive of the United Development Party (PPP).

An American expert on Indonesia, R. William Liddle from Ohio State University, has predicted that the PKB will finish among the top five political parties in next May's election. Liddle, speaking in August, said the other four would be the PDI under Megawati, the Crescent Star Party (PBB), Golkar and PAN.

Matori said on Friday that his party had "looked to the regions" to see if it could really meet Liddle's prediction.

"Apparently, we reckon we could win," he added.

Also on Friday, Matori and PKB executives Isa Muchsin and K. Usman said the general election should be held on schedule at all cost.

Matori said the PKB had noted statements made by a number of governors and regents to the effect that people may not be ready for an election next year given the depressed state of the economy.

"Those (are) signs (that they) want to preserve the status quo," he said.

He said President B.J. Habibie's government was purely transitional in nature and must pave the way for a general election as soon as possible.

Matori said his party believed that the People's Consultative Assembly should convene to set up a new government as soon as the election is over and the votes have been counted.

The current agenda sets the election for May and the MPR assembly for late December. The new government is expected to be formed in January 2000.

"Why such long a time? What if the government party does not win in the election? ... Won't it just add to the uncertainty?" Matori said.

On Friday, PKB also announced that it would gather its chapters and branches from around the nation at the Senayan indoor sports stadium on Oct. 18.

NU chairman Abdurrahman is expected to deliver a "brief political message", Matori said. (aan)