Susilo meets Akbar
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.
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.