Wiranto wins, Susilo alters tactics
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Presidential aspirant Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono met with running mate Jusuf Kalla on Wednesday, apparently to draw up a strategy for the July 5 election.
The closed-door meeting, held at Dharmawangsa Hotel in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, was also attended by leaders of the newly established Democratic Party, and campaign strategists of both Susilo and Kalla.
Susilo, however, refused to comment on the meeting, while Kalla immediately left the hotel at around 1 p.m. for the office of the coordinating minister of people's welfare to attend a farewell party for himself with his staff.
A reliable source said the meeting discussed campaign strategies Susilo and Kalla would pursue to win the country's first ever direct presidential election on July 5.
The source also said the meeting aimed at adjusting their strategies after Gen. (ret) Wiranto won Golkar's presidential convention on April 20.
"It was never thought that Wiranto would win the convention as many earlier predicted that Akbar would come out on top," said the source, referring to Wiranto's rival and Golkar leader Akbar Tandjung.
Kalla later said Wiranto's victory would not affect his pairing with Susilo, which would be officially announced next week.
"This (presidential election) will be a neck-and-neck race between two generals and they must prepare themselves. I myself will still pair with Susilo," Kalla said on the sidelines of the farewell party.
"During the meeting at Dharmawangsa Hotel this morning, we agreed to meet regularly every other day to arrange campaign strategies," Kalla said.
Susilo and Kalla have topped surveys of voter preferences for president and vice president in the July 5 election, with the stock market warmly welcoming the pair.
The Jakarta stock index hit a historic high of 810.86 on Tuesday, a surge that dealers and traders attributed to the market-friendly political development.
Susilo, a retired Army general, resigned from his post as coordinating minister for political and security affairs on March 9, while Kalla, a successful businessman from Makassar, South Sulawesi, left his ministerial post on Monday.
Meanwhile, leaders of the National Mandate Party (PKB) held a meeting on Wednesday with leaders of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), in what they called a dialog among political leaders.
PKB leader Mahfud M.D. said after the meeting that it would be difficult for his party to form a coalition with President Megawati Soekarnoputri's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle.
Megawati replaced Abdurrahman Wahid, PKB's founder, in July 2001 after the People's Consultative Assembly impeached the latter.