Sukarno's daughters to bury hatchet ahead of runoff

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Three daughters of founding president Sukarno look set to bury their hatchets for a family reunion ahead of the election runoff, which will see the eldest among the siblings, Megawati Soekarnoputri, square off against her former aide Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

The youngest of the three, Sukmawati Soekarnoputri, who leads the Marhaenisme Indonesian National Party (PNI Marhaenisme), said on Friday she and her two sisters -- Rachmawati Soekarnoputri and Megawati -- would meet sometime next week.

"Hopefully, Mbak Rachma will join forces with us in supporting Mbak Mega, and it could happen in the near future," Sukmawati said, after a meeting of leaders of parties that have formed the so-termed national coalition to support Megawati's bid, at the latter's residence on Jl. Teuku Umar in Central Jakarta.

Contacted separately, Rachmawati's husband Benny Soemarno said Megawati had expressed her intention of visiting Rahmawati, but no date was mentioned.

"They are siblings, so there is nothing special about them visiting one another. It is nothing to do with (Rachmawati's) political support (for Megawati)," Benny told The Jakarta Post.

Rachmawati chairs the Pioneer Party, which has declared its neutrality in the election runoff. She has been known for her staunch criticism of her elder sister, who assumed power in July 2001, replacing Abdurrahman Wahid.

Rachmawati has also claimed to represent the genuine ideology of nationalism inherited from Sukarno.

Benny underlined that the Pioneer Party is likely to remain neutral in the runoff.

In the April 5 legislative election, the three sisters competed against each other, with Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) garnering the second largest number of votes.

The parties of Sukmawati and Rachmawati failed to meet the electoral threshold of at least 3 percent of the vote, barring them from the 2009 elections.

In the first round of the presidential election, Rachmawati's party supported the National Mandate Party's (PAN) candidate Amien Rais, while Sukmawati opted to be neutral.

Sukmawati has a better relationship with Megawati, which is evident in her decision to support her eldest sister's presidential bid.

"There is a possibility of Mbak Mega visiting Mbak Rachma next week, depending on Mbak Rachma's health," Sukmawati said.

She said the meeting would hopefully lead to another form of cooperation, particularly in politics.

"In terms of platforms, our parties share similar views, but, for now, we will focus on a personal approach," Sukmawati said.