Susilo meets Akbar
The Jakarta Post Jakarta/Yogyakarta/Surabaya
Presidential candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono met with Golkar leader Akbar Tandjung on Thursday evening, most likely to discuss the possibility of cooperating ahead and after the Sept. 20 election runoff.
Susilo, who was accompanied by former Iskandar Muda Military commander Maj. Gen. Djali Yusuf and Indonesia Survey Institute (LSI) director Denny JA, arrived at Akbar's official residence on Jl. Widya Chandra III in South Jakarta at 10 p.m.
The meeting was still ongoing at 11 p.m.
Susilo earlier denied that the two would discuss political support ahead of the runoff.
"It is nothing special, it will be an ordinary meeting and we will not discuss possible political support," Susilo said.
Susilo, who will face incumbent Megawati Soekarnoputri of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) in the Sept. 20 runoff, has intensified his political lobbying to drum up support ahead of the election.
Earlier in the day, Susilo met with Gen. (ret) Wiranto at the latter's residence in Bambu Apus, East Jakarta.
Susilo also met with National Mandate Party (PAN) leader Amien Rais and National Awakening Party (PKB) chief patron Abdurrahman Wahid.
Jusuf Kalla, Susilo's running mate, has also been lobbying provincial leaders of Golkar, which has an extensive network across the country.
Also on Thursday, Susilo met hundreds of members of the Bhineka Tunggal Ika Youth Caucus in Jakarta. The meeting was also attended by politicians, professionals and human rights campaigners.
During the meeting, noted lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis, economist Rizal Ramli and former Papua governor Bernabas Suebu presented papers on law enforcement, economic recovery and fighting separatist movements respectively.
In his speech, Susilo called on the people to join hands in developing a better Indonesia.
"I know I'll carry a heavy mandate from the people if I'm elected to the presidency ... It will be very challenging and I can't face it alone. I believe that we can bring about changes if we are united," Susilo told the youths.
Also attending the meeting were Golkar leaders Fahmi Idris and Priyo Budhi Santoso, PDI-P legislators Meilono Suwondo and Julius Usman, PKB leaders A.S. Hikam and Alwi Shihab and former attorney general Marsillam Simanjuntak.
Meanwhile, Megawati's running mate Hasyim Muzadi visited Muhammadiyah University in Yogyakarta on Thursday.
"I will maintain good relations between the country's two biggest Muslim organizations, the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, even after the elections," Hasyim said.
He also promised to pay more attention to education by allotting 20 percent of the state budget to the sector if he were elected president in the September runoff.
In Surabaya, a leadership meeting of the PKB provincial office decided not to support one particular candidate, but underlined that each member, as an individual, was free to obey a religious edict recently issued by influential NU cleric Abdullah Faqih, instructing the organization's followers not to vote for a woman candidate.