PDIP Denies Signing Contract Supporting Prabowo's Bid For President

Jakarta (Antara) - Secretary General of Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) Tjahjo Kumolo denied Monday that the party had signed a contract supporting chief of the Greater Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party Prabowo Subianto's bid for the presidency. "Let me know every issue. What is the contract? Where is the evidence? I want to see it. As far as I know, there is no contract," he said before a plenary session at the parliament building here. Tahjo noted that he accompanied PDIP chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri when she signed a contract with Gerindra in 2009, but that contract made no mention of PDIP's support for Prabowo to run for president next year. "When PDIP made its first lobbying effort, formed a coalition, nominated presidential and vice presidential candidates and decided details of the contract (with Gerindra), Megawati was not alone. (Her daughter) Puan Maharani (who is also PDIP cadre) accompanied her when she signed the contract," he said. "At that time, I and (then PDIP secretary general) Pramono Anung also accompanied her," he added. Like any other party member, Megawati must also comply with the party's decision, though she is party chief, he said. "Even if she is a party chief elected through a congress, she must comply with what the party has decided. So it is the party which decides everything," he said. PDIP and Gerindra signed an agreement in Batu Tulis, Bogor, West Java, in 2009. The agreement resurfaced recently when Gerindra commented on a statement by chief of PDIP executive board Ribka Tjiptaning. There were rumors that the agreement contains a political contract between the two parties until the presidential election in 2014. According to these rumors, the contract also states that PDIP and Gerindra will support Prabowo's run for president in 2014. (*)