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Prabowo gets 10 ministrial posts from Megawati
Prabowo Subianto would have the authority to select up to 10 Cabinet ministers should he be elected as vice president for Megawati Soekarnoputri in the upcoming presidential election
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Prabowo Subianto would have the authority to select up to 10 Cabinet ministers should he be elected as vice president for Megawati Soekarnoputri in the upcoming presidential election.
The Greater Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party chairman Suhardi said it was part of the power-sharing deal that was finally agreed by Prabowo to pair up with Megawati as her running mate for the July 8 presidential election.
Earlier, weeks of negotiations between Gerindra and Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) had hit the wall several times because Prabowo insisted on his ambitions to contest the race as a presidential, not vice presidential, candidate.
"What I know is that Gerindra would be given 10 ministerial positions that would directly be determined by Pak Prabowo, while other ministerial posts will be decided upon together by Megawati and Prabowo," Suhardi said on the sidelines of the party's national working meeting in South Jakarta on Saturday.
"If they win the election, Prabowo will be allowed to choose the ministers related to economy, including the financial minister, and also the agriculture and forestry ministers," Suhardi added.
He also said the campaign funding would be equally shared by the two parties.
"During the legislative campaign, Gerindra spent about Rp 384 billion. During this presidential campaign, the burden will be lighter since the parties are going to share it."Attending the Gerindra meeting, Megawati did not discuss the power-sharing deal between the party and the PDI-P, even though she delivered a long speech with jokes, creating a pep rally atmosphere during the forum.
Opening her speech by greeting chairpersons of the supporting parties, she also introduced them with jokes.
"Mukhtar Pakpahan *chairman of the Labor Party* came to my house when he was going to be arrested years ago.
"And Gen. Yasin *chairman of the Functional Party of Struggle*. at long last we meet. I knew your name, and your moves, but I haven't met you until recently."
She told the audience how she doubted anybody would want to join her in the election.
"I said to the PDI-P secretary general *Pramono Anung*, *Mas Pram, I don't think anybody wants us.' From what I have seen recently, everybody was busy twist-dancing."
Megawati admitted she had her doubts previously about the Gerindra members.
"I was worried that these friends will also twist about, running here and there. But thank God they understand about being politicians.
"When I first heard Prabowo was willing to collaborate with us, I was confused because after inviting him to our *PDI-P* national meeting, after letting him deliver a speech there, I wonder why he still hadn't said yes."
She went further and made a joke at the expense of Prabowo's brother, Hasyim Djojohadikusumo.
"And with Prabowo, I didn't understand why it was so hard to meet him. But after I investigated it myself, with intelligence methods, then I knew who had been blocking our ways, it was that person," she laughed while gesturing toward Hasyim.
"On the last day before the due date to announce the pair for presidential election, he finally agreed."
Megawati, who was the president between 2001 and 2004, also offered comparisons between this year's elections and those held during her presidential term.
"When I was president, I said the election was my responsibility. The deficiencies in the election this year were responsibilities of the national leaders, not the General Elections Commission *KPU*."
She built up energy and applause from the audience by saying, "Political parties are not for those who want to use them as tools just to grab power."
Prabowo gave an opening short speech due to his voice that has been "gone" for several days. He said he was ready to declare his partnership with Megawati on Sunday at the Bantar Gebang dump site in Bekasi, east of Jakarta.
"We are not going to let our people down. We are going to give them back their independence," the retired three-star army general told his supporters during the meeting. (iwp)
