Ezra Sihite – The general elections are two years away, but political parties are already courting public figures they think will help bring them votes.
The Golkar Party is taking steps to beef up its run up in the 2014 elections by singling out senior politicians for potential future leadership roles.
"One of the first steps in our strategy is to identify potential future leaders such as Khofifah [Indar Parawansa]," said the party's deputy secretary general, Nurul Arifin.
Khofifah was the women's empowerment minister under President Abdurrahman Wahid and now leads the women's wing of Nahdlatul Ulama, the country's largest Muslim organization.
Her political career took off in 1992 when she became a lawmaker with the United Development Party (PPP). She was a deputy speaker at the House of Representatives before becoming minister in 1999. At the same time, she headed the National Family Planning Coordinating Board.
Nurul said Khofifah was a natural fit for the party because she was close to Golkar chairman Aburizal Bakrie. He added that other high-profile figures were being screened, saying Golkar was looking at both their character and their grassroots presence. He did not name any of these other figures.
Khofifah, however, dismissed claims that she had been handpicked for a key role in the party's leadership. When asked by text message on Friday if she had received a Golkar Party membership card, she replied, "enough already."
Khofifah would not say if she would be willing to join the party as a member without a position in its ruling structure. Commenting on the overtures made to her by several parties, Khofifah said she would "judge each in the context of the dynamic economic and political climate globally, and political and economic independence."
The PPP has also sought to bring her back into the fold as it looks ahead to 2014.
Other top officials Golkar has talked to include the chief justice at the Constitutional Court, Mahfud MD, and Paramadina University rector Anies Baswedan.
Meanwhile, the National Mandate Party (PAN) said it wanted to field two key ministers as its nominees for president and vice president in 2014. PAN deputy chairman Dradjad Wibowo said the party planned to nominate the coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, Djoko Suyanto, and the chief economic minister, Hatta Rajasa.
"They would make a formidable pair," Dradjad said on Friday, comparing them to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and former Vice President Jusuf Kalla in the 2004 election.
"Which of the two we nominate for president will depend on the results of the legislative elections," he said. "But because the two are very focused on their duties at present, there hasn't been much discussion around the presidential election."
He added that PAN's target for the 2014 general elections was to win 15 percent of the seats in the House.