"We should not stop at selecting a candidate but how to win."
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - A leader of the Golkar Party said the presidential candidacy of the party`s general chairman Aburizal Bakrie is not yet final.

A recent meeting of the central executive board of the country`s second largest political party decided to name the business tycoon as its presidential candidate in the forthcoming presidential election in 2014.

A meeting of the party leaders is not the mechanism to select the party`s presidential candidacy, Anton Lesiangi, a senior leader of the party said.

"The central board`s meeting is to accommodate all recommendations but not to make the final decision," he said, adding there is a higher authority.

The final decision should be made in a plenary meeting of all party leaders, considering the result of surveys, he said.

"We should not stop at selecting a candidate but how to win," Anton said here on Sunday.

The candidacy of Bakrie, whose reputation had been badly dented by legal cases involving his companies has been opposed by a number of party regional leaders .

One of the party`s most influential leaders Akbar Tanjung said Bakrie needs to settle case of mud floods gushing out from gas wells of his oil company Lapindo burying all houses in a village leaving many people homeless in Sidoarjo, East Java.

The case has remained an unsolved and still a national issue for the past several years.

In addition, a number of his other companies have been accused of being involved in tax embezzlement.

"Golkar is supposed to speak for the people, therefore, it should be made sure that the people agree with the candidacy of Bakrie," Anton said.

Political leaders suggested political parties come up with new and younger candidates .

The candidates are not necessary the party chairmen or leader, they said.

They cited Constitutional Court chairman Mahfud MD, Solo Mayor Joko Widodo and chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission Abraham Samad.

"They are clean and dynamic almost flawless" they said.

Ibramsjah from the University of Indonesia said new and young candidates would attract more voters.

He said the people are more interested in the figure rather than in the party, adding the people have lost confidence in party leaders.(Uu.AS/H-ASG/A014)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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