PKB officials pledge to back Wiranto's bid
PKB officials pledge to back Wiranto's bid
M. Taufiqurrahman and Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Surabaya
Thirty provincial chapters of the National Awakening Party (PKB)
pledged on Saturday to support the decision of the party's
central executive board to endorse Gen. (ret) Wiranto for
president.
The direct election is scheduled for July 5.
PKB executive board member Mahfud M.D. said that provincial
chapters had unanimously endorsed Wiranto and his running mate
Solahuddin Wahid in the race and had agreed to throw their weight
behind the campaign.
"As a consequence, the provincial chapters have also agreed to
support the presidential campaign of the Wiranto-Solahuddin
ticket. They will soon form campaign teams in respective
provinces," Mahfud told The Jakarta Post in a telephone
interview.
Mahfud said that the support was given only after provincial
chapters were allowed to air a barrage of criticism over the
executive board's decision.
"Members of the provincial chapters asked why the executive
board did not consult with them before making a decision on
Wiranto. They also asked what the political motivation was,"
Mahfud said.
In addition to Mahfud, PKB chairman Alwi Shihab and executive
member Muhaimin Iskandar presided over the meeting.
Minutes after the meeting, PKB's cofounder Abdurrahman "Gus
Dur" Wahid, arrived with his younger brother Solahuddin and
Wiranto, at the hotel in Senayan where the meeting took place to
brief representatives from the provincial chapters.
None of East Java provincial chapter representatives were in
attendance at the meeting.
The provincial chapters have adamantly promoted Wiranto's
cause in the PKB.
In a plenary session on Wednesday, the PKB executive board
unanimously decided to fully support Solahuddin and Wiranto.
The decision, however, was made without a clear endorsement
from Gus Dur, as he had earlier pledged to abstain in the July 5
polls in protest over the General Elections Commission (KPU)'s
decision to disqualify him from the race.
Separately, PKB secretary general Saifullah Yusuf said that
Gus Dur as part of the party, had to be in agreement with the
endorsement of Wiranto.
"The decision to support Wiranto was made via legitimate party
mechanisms, and all PKB members should abide by it," Saifullah
said.
In Surabaya, East Java, the PKB provincial chapter set up on
Saturday a campaign team for the Wiranto-Solahuddin bid.
PKB provincial leader Choirul Anam will be the chairman of the
campaign team, after Golkar Party provincial chapters agreed to
appoint him.
Golkar's chapter previously agreed to give the PKB full
control of the presidential campaign in one of the party's
stronghold areas, such as East Java.