Central Axis Unrealistic: Amien Rais

Semarang, Central Java (Antara) - Chairman of the Advisory Board of the National Mandate Party (PAN) Amien Rais has described the re-establishment of a central axis as unrealistic. "Creating a central axis is currently unrealistic because the context has changed," the founder of the party said, referring to the establishment of a second central axis for next year's presidential election. Amien Rais, one of the individuals credited with the formation of a central axis in support of the late Abdurrahman Wahid to help him clinch victory in the 1999 presidential election, noted that the next presidency should not be won on the basis of strong financial backing, and he cautioned the public to be careful while voting. "I must warn you against allowing any candidate to win solely because of his capital support rather than his conscience. Capital is destructive. It only sides with the strong," he remarked. Amien pointed out that if the winning candidate can attribute his victory to his financial backers, the weak would suffer; so people have to be smart while choosing their president. "A candidate who wins because of capital strength will owe a debt that has to be repaid, making him a puppet," he stressed. It has been widely reported recently that several Islamic political parties have been actively conducting meetings at a forum called "Forum Umat Islam Indonesia," or Indonesian Muslims Forum. The first central axis was created in 1998 by Islamic politicians. (*)