PPP to select would-be leaders
JAKARTA (JP): The United Development Party (PPP) has promised it will carefully select presidential and vice presidential candidates for 1998/2003 and will name only deserving people to be brought to the People's Consultative Assembly next March.
PPP deputy secretary Bachtiar Chamsyah defined yesterday those "deserving nominees" as those who are capable of leading the country despite the mounting future challenges.
"We will select only strong figures, because we are entering a strategic period called globalization. It needs a thorough deliberation, therefore, to name the candidates," he said.
Executives of the Moslem-based party and its provincial branches will convene today and tomorrow to discuss, among other things, presidential and vice presidential nominees. The leadership meeting will be held behind closed doors.
Party chairman Ismail Hasan Metareum will open the gathering today and is expected to announce the results of the meeting Monday.
PPP deputy chairman Jusuf Syakir said the party had received a "huge number" of proposals of names for candidates for the state's top posts from its provincial branches, from individuals and social groups.
Jusuf refused to mention any names, but said they included public figures supported by several organizations recently.
"So far, we have listed more than one nominee for each of the top jobs. Whether we will finally have only one name or more for each post will depend much on the forum," Jusuf said yesterday.
Golkar has been the only political grouping to publicly announce its support for the renomination of incumbent President Soeharto. However, just like the PPP and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), the dominant group has refused to reveal its vice presidential nominee.
The Yogyakarta branch of PPP has nominated government critic and chairman of Moslem organization Muhammadiyah Amien Rais for the presidential seat and Ismail for the vice presidential post.
PPP's East Java office backs Soeharto's renomination and has picked incumbent Try Sutrisno, Ismail, Amien and Abdurrahman Wahid -- chairman of the country's largest Moslem organization -- for the state's second highest position.
Bachtiar said that all of the proposed names will be scrutinized by participants of the meeting. "We welcome all aspirations from the grassroots, but we need acceptable arguments (as to why they support certain names)," he said.
Once the selection is completed, the PPP faction at the People's Consultative Assembly will ask the candidates that they accept their nomination, Yusuf said.
The 1,000-strong Assembly will convene in March next year to elect the president and vice president for the 1998/2003 period.
PDI secretary-general Buttu Hutapea said the minority party would select its candidates in February next year. (amd)