Wiranto wins, Susilo alters tactics

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.