PPP to select would-be leaders
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)