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Pramono may compete with Gita, Mahfud at Dem primary
Politicians from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyonoâs Democratic Party have asked the Presidentâs brother in-law, Gen
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oliticians from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party have asked the President's brother in-law, Gen. (ret) Pramono Edhie Wibowo, who just retired as Army chief of staff, to join the party's presidential primary, which will begin next month.
Lawmaker Ramadhan Pohan, who is also the party's deputy secretary-general, said Pramono's chances would be good if he were to participate in the primary. 'He is now an ordinary civilian so it is open [to him] to enter [the primary],' Ramadhan said on Thursday. 'Party support for Pramono is huge,' he said. 'We want him to enter the presidential primary race.'
It has been speculated that Pramono, the younger brother of First Lady Ani Yudhoyono, was being groomed by Yudhoyono to succeed him as part of the President's efforts to secure his and his family's interests after his second term in office ends in 2014.
Pramono has acknowledged that he had thought about running for president in 2014. 'Praise the Lord, if there are [political parties] who want to ask me [to run for president]. Even if there are people who pray for me to be a president, I would say 'Amen',' Pramono told reporters at the State Palace on Wednesday on the sidelines of the inauguration ceremony of Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Moeldoko, who replaced him.
Pramono, however, stopped short of saying whether he would join the Democratic Party's presidential convention if asked. 'For the time being, I want to spend time with my family and on my hobbies,' he said.
The retired general said he was aware of media reports touting him as a prospective presidential contender, but refused to openly state whether he would enter politics after the military.
Should Pramono take up the party's offer, he would compete with other prominent figures who have conveyed an interest in participating in the primary. Among them are Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan, House of Representatives Speaker Marzuki Alie, who is also the deputy chairman of the party's supreme assembly, former constitutional court chief justice Mahfud MD and Regional Representatives Council (DPD) chairman Irman Gusman.
Earlier this week, Gita said he had talked to Yudhoyono about his plan to run for president. 'If I am allowed to contest the primary, I am ready for it,' Gita said.
Mahfud has also openly said he is ready to participate in the primary. 'It will be a great opportunity. It will open the door for presidential hopefuls with no affiliation to political parties to be nominated,' he said.
Of those said to be planning to participate in the primary, Mahfud is the most popular according to surveys. Mahfud topped several surveys on potential presidential candidates along with former vice president Jusuf Kalla and former commander of the Army's Special Forces (ret) Let. Gen. Prabowo Subianto of the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party.
Primaries are used by political parties in the US to select presidential candidates. The Golkar Party held a convention that selected Gen. (ret) Wiranto as a candidate in the 2004 presidential election.
The Democratic Party's move to hold a presidential primary is seen as an attempt to win back the support of voters. The party is struggling to get back on its feet after being ravaged by a slew of corruption scandals and friction.
Gadjah Mada University political analyst Ary Dwipayana said, however, that the primary would be 'half-hearted' because all participants require Yudhoyono's approval to contest it.
