Indonesia's Golkar party, the former political machine of retired dictator Suharto, looks set to reassume dominance on the country's political landscape. Just six years after being ousted from office, Golkar is poised to win this month's legislative election. It's now eyeing a prize unthinkable just a few years ago – winning the presidential elections. The dilemma however, is choosing between convicted embezzler – Akbar Tandjung or an indicted war crimes suspect – former armed forces chief, General Wiranto.

Presenter/Interviewer: Marianne Kearney

Speakers: Akbar Tandjung, Golkar presidential candidate; retired General Wiranto, Golkar presidential candidate; Greg Fealy, Research Fellow and Lecturer in Indonesian Politics at the Australian National University

Kearney: (RALLY SFX) That was general Wiranto, one of six presidential candidates campaigning in Gunung Kidul Central Java prior to the parliamentary elections.

And Indonesians have obviously bought Golkar's message – that if they were running the country life would not be so tough for the ordinary Indonesian. Having won over the majority of the Indonesian electorate however Golkar still needs to pick its presidential candidate.

Competing for the job is in a US style convention on April 20th are: Golkar chief – Akbar Tandjung, former armed forces commander Wiranto, another former general Prabowo Subianto, media magnate Suryo Paloh, welfare minister Yusuf Kalla, and businessman Aburizal Bakrie.

However, this is essentially a two horse race – between Wiranto an indicted war crimes suspect and the consummate politician Akbar Tandjung.

The former armed forces commander, General Wiranto is far more popular, particularly as he is able to tap into a widespread desire for a strong government. Not too many Indonesians care that he has been indicted by Dili for failing to prevent the wholesale destruction of East Timor in 1999.

Sarjowono: "Because Mr Wiranto is a former military member and maybe because he's from the forces he'll be more disciplined and responsible as a president,"

Kearney: So says 25 year old, Sarjowono, an unemployed man from Central Java.

And Wiranto argues that because of his record dealing with crises such as Timor and the overthrow of Suharto, he is the better candidate. He's also confident that at the grassroots level of Golkar leaders, he has more support.

Wiranto: This I have proved that I can take on this, and as a leader of the military, and also within the structure of the bureaucracy I have participated in government during several national crises, in a way that is very persuasive in order to minimise destruction. And this is what is needed for the future of this country.

Kearney: Ironically though it is not his alleged crimes in East Timor or even his failure to stop widespread rioting during the downfall of Suharto, that may prevent Wiranto from winning the presidential nomination.

Instead it is the political prowess of Tandjung that poses the greatest obstacle to Wiranto's rise. Despite only recently having a $6 million corruption conviction against him overturned, Golkar's supremo appears determined to run for president.

Akbar: "If the court already decide I'm free all the people should appreciate the decision of the court. I'm traveling all over Indonesia and I meet the people. I don't feel the people don't like me, I see the people and I think no problem."

Senior Golkar leaders such as Golkar vice-chairman Theo Sambuaga say that it was Tandjung who won these elections for Golkar, and therefore he will be nominated.

Sambuaga: Akbar I am confident will win, because at least two factors, he won already his case two months ago, and the second factor, is under his leadership, we won this parliamentary elections and those who are going to vote for him are those local Golkar leaders who were also working with us for the parliamentary elections.

Kearney: Strangely it is Tandjung with his corruption tainted past, rather than Wiranto, who will be the harder nominee to sell to the Indonesian public say analysts.

But within Golkar, Tandjung is the far more powerful politician and loyantly to Tandjung, rather than concerns about human rights abuses is probably what will sway Golkar members next week says Greg Fealy, an academic from ANU.

Fealy: "I'd still say that Akbar is the favourite more so than Wiranto, despite his low popularity ratings. I think the Golkar machine think they can sell him. But he's still got to get elected in the convention. And the view seems to be at the grassroots branch level there is lot of skepticism about him, people who are closer to the general community realise that it will be difficult for him to attract enough votes. But people in the higher levels at the provincial and national levels, a lot of these people owe a lot of debt to Akbar and admire what he's done with Golkar to build the party since the Suharto era. So I think they're very reluctant to abandon his cause."