PAN conference: Chairman of the Party Consultative Assembly of the National Mandate Party (PAN) Amien Rais and the party’s chairman candidate Hatta Rajasa, enter a meeting room at the opening of the party’s national conference in Batam, Riau Islands, on Thursday. Antara/Ismar Patrizki
The National Mandate Party’s (PAN) national congress officially opened in Batam, Riau Island, on Thursday with Coordinating Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa vowing to bring the party closer to the government.
The three-day congress attended by 1260 regional delegates and central executives, was opened by party founder Amien Rais who supported the candidacy of Hatta and his rival Dradjad Wibowo.
Also attending the congress were Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie, other party leaders, outgoing PAN chairman Soetrisno Bachir and Forestry Minister Zulkifli.
In the opening ceremony, most participants who will vote in the election for chairman, expressed support for secretary general Hatta Rajasa to lead the party for the next five years.
Hatta said that if elected chairman, he would strengthen the party’s coalition with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s government.
He also promised to boost the party’s performance in the 2014 legislative elections.
“Joining the coalition was our choice. It was [PAN chief patron] Amien Rais himself who initiated the coalition with the Democratic Party. And Yudhoyono wants us to be a part of the government,” he said.
“Will the party remain critical? Certainly. Being critical is our character. As reformers, we have to remain critical. Being critical doesn’t necessarily mean being in opposition,” he said, addressing a press conference on the sidelines of the congress on Thursday evening.
Hatta offers a diametrically different option from Drajad, who wants to bring PAN out of the Yudhoyono-led coalition.
Hatta and Drajad are so far the only candidates for the chairmanship of the Islamic-based party.
Hatta also promised to increase PAN’s share of votes to double digits in the 2014 legislative elections.
PAN finished fifth in the 2009 legislative elections with 6 million votes, or 6 percent of the total national votes.
“We want to make PAN a centrist and modern party. Therefore we will reaffirm our visions and missions so that in 2014, we will gain significant votes. We’ve targeted a double-digit vote gain,” Hatta was quoted as saying by news portal detik.com.
He said the ongoing national congress was very important as not only would a new leader be chosen, but it was also a forum to set up the party’s strategic policies ahead of the 2014 elections.
“In its vision for the future, PAN is an open party, which will create the dreams for reform, guard the reform and create democracy, justice, humanity and prosperity. This open party is inclusive and will accommodate all children throughout the nation,” Hatta said.
He acknowledged he hired Fox Indonesia as political consultants for his campaign to head PAN, the same organization hired by Yudhoyono and his Democratic Party for the 2009 legislative and presidential elections.
The political consultancy firm is headed by Choel Mallarangeng, the brother of Andi Mallarangeng, the deputy chairman of the Democratic Party and currently the state sports and youth affairs minister.
Andi and Hatta are among Yudhoyono’s closest aides and were key figures in Yudhoyono’s re-election campaign team.
