Prabowo Courts Democrats as Race Heats Up

Fuente: 
Jakarta Globe
Fecha de publicación: 
28 Mayo 2014

 

Jakarta. Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto and his running mate Hatta Rajasa have submitted a letter to the Democrats making the case for an alliance between the parties in the run up to the July 9 election, a Democratic Party official said on Wednesday.

“They have sent an official letter to Democratic Party to present their vision and mission for the next five years,” Democratic Party executive chairman Syarief Hasan said. “That’s why the party is facilitating [a chance for the candidate to address party members]. It will take place on June 1 at the Sahid Hotel, Jakarta.”

He said the party hat not invited Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) candidate Joko Widodo or Prabowo and that only the Prabowo camp had approached the Democrats.

“To avoid any misunderstanding, once again: we haven’t received any letter from other candidates except Prabowo-Hatta,” Syarief said. “After hearing their vision and mission, we will study them. Then the Democratic Party will take a stand.”

He said it was still possible that the Democrats would throw their support behind a coalition before the election.

“If their vision and mission are in line with ours, we will make a decision at the right time,” he said. “Maybe we’ll support them.”

He said that the party would be unlikely to support a ticket that intended to scrap many of Yudhoyono’s ongoing programs.

“If President Yudhoyono’s programs are going to be abandoned, that will be a consideration for Democratic Party to discuss and decide upon,” he said.

Yudhoyono said last week that his party had no plans to endorse either of the two candidates but he did not exclude the possibility of joining a coalition.

 

Source/Fuente: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/prabowo-courts-democrats-race-heats/