TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Hatta counters attack from Amien
Amid fierce competition between two candidates for the chairmanship of the National Mandate Party (PAN) during the partyâs congress in Denpasar, Bali, incumbent candidate Hatta Rajasa has responded to an attack on him by patron board chairman Amien Rais regarding his meeting with then president-elect Joko âJokowiâ Widodo at the residence of National Democratic (Nasdem) Party chairman Surya Paloh following the presidential election in July last year
Change Size
A
mid fierce competition between two candidates for the chairmanship of the National Mandate Party (PAN) during the party's congress in Denpasar, Bali, incumbent candidate Hatta Rajasa has responded to an attack on him by patron board chairman Amien Rais regarding his meeting with then president-elect Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo at the residence of National Democratic (Nasdem) Party chairman Surya Paloh following the presidential election in July last year.
During the congress' opening ceremony on Saturday evening, Amien, who is backing People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Zulkifli Hasan to lead the party for the next five years, accused Hatta of lying when he chose to meet the president-elect instead of attending a meeting of the Red-and-White Coalition, which supported rival presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto.
Hatta, who is seeking re-election, insisted he had never hidden anything from Amien or the coalition.
'Firstly, there was nothing secret about the meeting and I went there with Zulkifli Hasan. I have already clarified that we went to Surya Paloh's residence to congratulate the president-elect,' he said when attending the congress' second-day agenda at the Westin Hotel in Nusa Dua, Bali, on Sunday.
Hatta added that Jokowi had also issued a clarification of the meeting to the media, which took place after the Constitutional Court declared Jokowi's victory in the presidential race.
'As the defeated vice presidential candidate, it would have been inelegant not to congratulate the president-elect and vice president-elect. The meeting was arranged by our friends in the coalition,' Hatta said.
Amien's accusations about Hatta have been seen as an attempt to garner support from congress participants for Zulkifli. The party chairmanship election was scheduled to be conducted on the last day on Monday and on Sunday, the congress was scheduled to discuss the party's statutes and evaluate the party's performance over the past five years under Hatta's leadership. (rms)
