PKB may not name presidential candidates soon

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.