also: JP: Supporters urge Mega to look beyond Prabowo, Wiranto

The Jakarta Post [web site] April 25, 2009

PDI-P chooses Prabowo as Megawati's running mate

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has chosen former army general with possible ties to human rights violations Prabowo Subianto as a running mate in the upcoming presidential election.

Speaking after the party's national summit in Lenteng Agung, South Jakarta, secretary general Pramono Anung said Megawati's running mate must be an individual who possessed a fighting spirit.

"PDI-P is well known as a political party that fights. Therefore, it is very important for the vice-president candidate to have such quality," PDI-P secretary general Pramono told a press conference.

Pramono said Prabowo, founder of Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), was favored by almost all of party representatives from 33 regions.

"The official announcement and final composition of PDI-P's president and vice-president candidates will be made to public before the deadline on May 9," he added.

Prabowo's "fighter" persona is sufficiently backed by his past history as the one of New Order's top dog generals.

He has been considered by many to be the leading actor behind activists abduction at the dawn of the New Order era in the late 1990's, through a so called "Rose Operation".

Most of those activists are still missing and the possibility of their demise is second to none, judging from the time frame of their abduction to the present date. (hdt)

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The Jakarta Post [web site] April 25, 2009

Supporters urge Mega to look beyond Prabowo, Wiranto

Supporters of Megawati Soekarnoputri, the chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI-P), have demanded her to be cautious not to choose vice president candidates with possible ties to human rights violations.

During their protests prior to the party meeting, Megawati Supporter Committee (KPM) have warned the chairwoman to be selective in choosing vice president candidate as her partner in the presidential election scheduled for July.

"Principally, we ask for the PDI-P elites to deeply consider the after-effect in naming either Prabowo or Wiranto as vice-president," KPM's field coordinator Doni Muhidin told The Jakarta Post in Lenteng Agung, South Jakarta, on Saturday.

Doni was referring to the Greater Indonesian Movement (Gerindra)'s chairman Prabowo Subianto and his counterpart from the People's Conscience Party (Hanura) Wiranto. As of now, Megawati remains PDI-P's front runner for president candidate.

However, Megawati has been lying in bed, politically speaking, with some of her past bitter rivals in the New Order era such as Prabowo and Wiranto.

Megawati's political romance with her New Order foes has raised the possibility for her to name one of them as her vice-president running mate. This situation, if occurs, raises an objection from the KPM which has backed her since 1996.

In its press statements, the KPM said that they rejected any president or vice-president candidate with a human-rights violation and New Order-related background.

Both Prabowo and Wiranto, as a matter of facts, were prominent military generals during the New Order and deemed to be held responsible over several human rights violation in the past.

Many have said Prabowo to be the leading actor behind activists abduction at the dawn of the New Order era in the late 1990's. Most of those activists are still missing and the possibility of their demise is second to none, judging from the time frame of their abduction to the present date.

Wiranto was in charge of the military as the Supreme Commander during the May Riot, in which thousands of men and women died on the streets of Jakarta. Survivors of the riots has said that they saw military personnel' involvement during the riot, which brought an end to New Order.

The KPM has also asked for Megawati to focus on election frauds instead of presidency nominations.

"Megawati should not allow herself to be lured with presidency seats. She should maintain her focus on the unfair election issues rather than concentrating on presidential election," Doni said. (hdt)