PKB may not name presidential candidates soon
A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The National Awakening Party (PKB)'s national meeting, scheduled to take place from Tuesday to Thursday this week, may end without the party having named its candidates for the 2004 presidential election.
PKB secretary-general Syaifullah Yusuf said here on Monday it was too early to name the party's presidential candidates because the criteria for the candidates had yet to be set.
He said the influential ulemas who supported the party had not proposed that presidential candidates be discussed at the meeting, while the government and the House of Representatives were still discussing the criteria for candidates.
"Our presidential candidates should be announced at the party's next meeting in December," Syaifullah said.
The presidential election will be held sometime between June and August next year.
Sources within the party said the main reason for delaying the naming of presidential candidates was that the presidential election bill was still being deliberated by the government and the House.
The bill is scheduled to be endorsed by the end of this month and will likely be enacted into law by the President in June.
Several factions in the PKB, including one led by Syaifullah, said delaying the naming of presidential candidates could avoid any wasted time and energy.
It would be useless to spend time choosing the right candidates if it turned out later that the candidates did not meet the criteria stipulated in the presidential election bill, a party figure said.
"So it is more prudent to wait until December, when the presidential election bill has already been completed."
A possible candidate that could be affected by the presidential election law is former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, who is reportedly eager to contest the country's first direct presidential election.
Abdurrahman, who has poor vision and has in the past suffered two small strokes, could be barred from running for president if the presidential election law sets limitations on candidates relating to their health.
Another possible presidential candidate is Hasyim Muzadi, chairman of the country's largest Muslim organization, Nadhlatul Ulama, the main political base of the PKB.
In the past, Abdurrahman, the son of NU founder Hasyim Ashari, was never challenged within the NU and PKB, and he remains an influential figure in the two organizations.
However, Syaifullah said that now there were elements within the NU and PKB that might not support Abdurrahman's candidacy in the 2004 presidential election.
"They say that party figures who served as president in the past should not join the race again," said Syaifullah.
Separately, Gus Dur reiterated that he was ready to be nominated by the PKB to contest the presidential election.
"I have been asked by four noted ulemas -- Abdullah Fakih, Subatar, Abdurrahman Chudori and Muhaiminan Gunardo -- to join the race for the presidency and I will honor this request," he said.
Meanwhile, Hasyim Muzadi challenged an earlier statement by Abdurrahman that any presidential candidate from the NU must be nominated by the PKB.
"There is no regulation on this matter," Antara news agency quoted him as saying on Monday during a visit to Cairo, Egypt.