Golkar under pressure to announce presidential candidate

The Jakarta Post   |  Fri, 10/17/2008 8:08 PM  |  National

The Golkar Party's national leaders' meeting this Friday and Saturday will be overshadowed by growing pressure for the party to nominate its own presidential candidate, with support for Sultan Hamengkubuwono X's bid increasing.

Although senior Golkar figures previously said the party would not discuss presidential candidates at the meeting, many others have said they would announce their candidates.

"There's no official schedule for it but leaders from the party's regional branches and affiliated organizations will use the forum to announce their preferred presidential candidates," Yorris Th. Raweyai, chairman of Golkar's youth wing AMPG, said Thursday.

Many Golkar figures claim the party needs an alternative presidential candidate other than party chairman and Vice President Jusuf Kalla -- who has expressed his willingness to run again as President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's sidekick.

They point to Kalla's poor showing in recent surveys, which found only 1 or 2 percent of respondents wanted Kalla as president. The results of the survey highlight the unlikelihood of the party nominating its chairman as president.

Golkar members also criticized Kalla's willingness to run with Yudhoyono, claiming it shows Kalla's lack of confidence. His decision has also broken the party's own pledge to announce its presidential candidate after the April 9, 2009, legislative election.

Golkar member and legislator Yudhi Chrisnandi said the majority of party members wanted Golkar to have its own presidential candidate in next year's election.

"Initially, we were quiet and would wait until after the legislative election to break the silence. But the announcement by the party chairman and his loyalists (to run again with Yudhoyono) has caused tensions, prompting some of us to announce our own candidates," he said.

Ten days after Kalla stated he would run with Yudhoyono, the Golkar-affiliated Central Organization for Indonesian Employees (Soksi) nominated Hamengkubuwono as its presidential candidate.

But even before the nomination, Soksi chairman Suhardiman had said the sultan had a better chance of winning the presidency than any other Golkar figure, as shown in the latest polls.

Yorris acknowledged support for Hamengkubuwono was on the rise within the party.

Yudhi said Kalla's willingness to run with Yudhoyono had effectively closed the door on other party figures to be nominated as presidential candidates. The consequence, he warned, would be the rise of internal conflicts and the exit of seasoned Golkar politicians.

Shortly after Kalla's announcement, Golkar deputy chairman and House Speaker Agung Laksono hinted at his willingness to team up with Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman and former president Megawati Soekarnoputri. (and)

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved.