Semarang – Prabowo Subianto Djoyohadikusumo, a son-in-law of former president Soeharto, met with Golkar members in Semarang, Central Java, over the weekend as part of his campaign to win the party's presidential nomination.

"My participation in [the Golkar Party] convention is still a learning process. So please pray for me," he was quoted as saying by the chairman of Golkar's Central Java chapter, H.M. Hasbi.

Golkar, the former ruling party under Soeharto, is currently holding a convention to select a presidential candidate for 2004, when the country will hold its first direct presidential election.

During the meeting, which was closed to journalists, Prabowo discussed his vision and mission for the country, as one of 12 people trying to win the presidential nomination from Golkar.

A former chief of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad), Prabowo reportedly said he would focus on empowering the people's economy, so the nation would no longer have to rely on the International Monetary Fund.