PKB Prepares Two Running Mates for Jokowi

Malang, E Java (Antara) - The National Awakening Party (PKB) had prepared two names it will offer to pair up with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP)'s presidential candidate Joko Widodo. General Chairman of PKB, Muhaimin Iskandar, said here on Friday his party had prepared two cadres to become a running mate of Joko Widodo, better known as Jokowi. The two cadres are Rhoma Irama and Mahfud MD. "We are still considering whether to coalesce with other parties, because it has been suggested by Islamic clerics and PKB cadres," Muhaimin Iskandar said when campaigning for the PKB in an outdoor rally here. He said one of the political parties the PKB was targeting to establish a coalition with was the PDIP. However, the PKB will not rule out the possibility of coalescing with other parties. Referring to PKB's vote target, Muhaimin, who is also the manpower and transmigration minister, said his party must win 100 seats in the parliament. "One hundred seats must be in hand," he added. A total of 12 political parties are now conducting campaigns to vie for the votes of 185.8 million eligible voters in the upcoming legislative election on April 9, 2014. Meanwhile, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) had intensified efforts to win both the legislative and the presidential elections. "We are focusing on efforts to win the legislative elections and we are optimistic that the PDIP will win. In the meantime, we are also promoting Pak (Mr) Jokowi as our presidential candidate," PDIP's associate chairperson Ribka Tjiptaning told Antara here on Friday. She explained that the party has a special strategy to win the elections and meet the target of winning 20.7 percent of seats in the parliament or 27 percent of national votes to be able to nominate its own presidential candidate. She added that during the current campaigning, party cadres, legislative candidates, supporters and volunteers are also promoting Jokowi as the party's presidential candidate. "We believe the PDIP will emerge as the winner in the legislative elections this year and Jokowi will be our next president," she asserted. Tjiptaning, meanwhile, urged all cadres, supporters and volunteers to help monitor the implementation of the legislative elections to guard against possible frauds. PDIP Sukabumi branch's chairman M Jaenudin pointed out that he was also optimistic the PDIP will win in the legislative elections this year following the party's chief Megawati Soekarnoputri's recent decision to offer Jokowi, the current Jakarta governor, the mandate to run for president. "The naming of Jokowi as a presidential candidate will boost the party's vote collection. We will keep striving to make the party victorious in the legislative elections this time," he explained. (*)