The race for the National Mandate Party (PAN) chairmanship between Hatta Radjasa and Dradjad Wibowo seems to have ended prematurely with the former becoming the clear winner because of his close relations with PAN founder Amien Rais, top PAN executives say.
The PAN National Congress to elect the new chairman replacing Soetrisno Bachir is scheduled to take place from Jan. 8 to Jan. 10, in Batam.
PAN senior politician Djoko Susilo said here Monday that although Amien would try to remain neutral, ultimately he would support Hatta.
“I believe Amien will do his best to stay neutral, but it must be noted that Hatta and Amien go way back and have a very intense emotional relationship. Hatta’s relationship with Amien is much more intense than that of Dradjad,” he said.
“So, in a sense, it’s practically Vini, Vidi, Vici for Pak Hatta. He comes, he sees and he wins. He is just unstoppable. The other candidates, if there are any new names after Pak Dradjad, will simply become part of the party’s political dynamics,” Djoko added.
Earlier, PAN members expressed their support for Hatta because they saw him as a figure with
political weight and who could carry the party to power as President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s most trusted aide.
Besides Amien, Hatta has also received blessings from one of the party’s co-founders, AM Fatwa.
During Hatta’s candidacy declaration event in Batam on Sunday, Fatwa said he had been supporting Hatta for the chairmanship since 2005.
Top level party members such as Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan, Justice and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar, and the party’s treasurer, Asman Abnur, have also expressed their support for Hatta.
Knowing he has received a significant amount of support, Hatta, who is also the current coordinating minister for the economy, boasted during a speech in Batam about how he had set up the party’s high-ranking officials with important strategic seats in the current Cabinet and the legislative body.
He also said the real race was not for the chairmanship, but for the party’s secretary-general post.
After declaring his candidacy in Batam, Hatta then flew to Bali to hold a similar event, at which Amien’s son, Ahmad Mumtaz Raiz, was in attendance.
“After 17 regional boards declared their support for Hatta, I think it is pretty much game over now,” Djoko said.
Djoko said most PAN members believed Hatta would be able to maintain the party’s pro-reformation agenda amid growing political competition.
“We need someone like Pak Hatta, who has more than enough experience and capabilities to guard the party’s success,” he said.
Despite Hatta’s seemingly eminent victory, Dradjad and his supporters seemed to be unmoved in their quest for the chairmanship.
Dradjad said as quoted by Antara in Medan, North Sumatra, on Sunday that he had received support from the party’s branches in Central Java, East Java, Banten and Lampung.
PAN Central Java chapter chairman (and the younger brother of Amien) Rozaq Rais also said he was totally behind Dradjad.
“Dradjad is a humble individual. That is his main strength that will make him the party’s new chairman,” he said.
Another PAN executive and close associate of Dradjad, Alvin Lie, said Dradjad had something Hatta could not offer, and that was a full-time focus on managing the party.
“No ministers managed to successfully lead their party in the election,” he said.
