Sukarno's daughters to bury hatchet ahead of runoff
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.