PPP aims high in 2004 elections despite splits
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The country's largest Muslim-based party, the United Development Party (PPP), is eying a rather ambitious 20 percent of the vote in the general elections in 2004.
At the conclusion of the party's national working meeting on Saturday, PPP deputy chairman Alimarwan Hanan said his party had set its sights on securing 25,75 million votes, double the figure it gained in the 1999 elections.
"We cannot afford just to maintain our performance in the 1999 election, as we may risk dropping our ranking," Alimarwan was quoted by Antara as saying.
His statement neglected the fact PPP had faced a number of splits, beginning when the party's Nahdlatul Ulama faction formed the National Awakening Party in 1998.
Last year Zainuddin MZ led a breakaway and founded what was to become the Star of Reform Party (PBR).
The reelection of Hamzah Haz as PPP chairman last May also resulted in a silent conflict with Bachtiar Chamsyah, the chairman of Parmusi, one of the main factions in the party.
PPP finished third in 1999 with 11.32 million votes or 10.7 percent of the total vote.
The General Elections Commission announced last week that 143.192 million of the country's population of 214.703 million would be eligible to vote in the next election, scheduled for April 5.
Alimarwan said the party had been seeking new measures to woo voters outside its traditional base.
He said part of the strategy was to recruit more businessmen and raise more campaign funds for the party.
"It is very likely that we will recruit rich and influential people to become our legislative candidates, as long as they can get along with our principles," Alimarwan said.
PPP chairman Hamzah, also the Vice President, has come under fire for establishing Wapres (the Indonesian acronym of vice president) Center, which gathers businesspeople to help the government raise Rp 100 trillion for empowerment of small and medium-scale entrepreneurs and civil society.
Critics suspect the center will also serve the interests of his party.
The PPP national meeting, attended by executives from the central board and the regional chapters, was aimed at formulating a strategy to win the 2004 elections.
Like Golkar, PPP survived the reform movement in 1998.
PPP has never won the majority of the vote in the past elections, but has always been considered the strongest Muslim- based party in Indonesia. It is known for its persistent support for the imposition of sharia in the country.
The country will hold the first ever direct elections of 550 legislative members and the president in 2004.
"We agreed to work harder to win more seats in the House of Representatives and in the Cabinet," Alimarwan said.
Hamzah was absent from the closing ceremony of the national working meeting.