Mahfud MD to Lead Success Team of Prabowo-Hatta

Jakarta (Antara) - Mahfud MD, former presidential candidate of the Nation Awakening Party (PKB), had formally accepted the offer to lead the national success team of the Prabowo-Hatta presidential ticket. "Bismillahirrohmannirrohim (In the name of Allah, Most Gracious and Most Merciful), this afternoon, I declared the start of the fight for the victory of Prabowo Subianto-Hatta Rajasa," he said at a press conference here on Thursday. Mahfud, who is also a former constitutional court chief justice, said he had considered the decision thoroughly, including the call for rejection from several quarters. He said some had suggested that he will not be a successful team leader as he was considered more suitable to be a statesman and even the nation's teacher, and therefore must not support any side in the presidential election on July 9. "I have never called myself the nation's teacher or a statesman. The two honorifics are too high for me. I am just a politician who must make a choice in national politics," he noted. The former constitutional court chief justice also said that fighting through politics was as important as fighting for religion. "The fight for religious interests needs political support and fighting in the political arena also needs religious directives," he added. (*) Reporting by Sigit Pinardi