...personality will determine"Jakarta (ANTARA News) - A Golkar Party associate chairman said here on Monday that the party would conduct a program aimed at promoting the profiles of its candidates for the legislative elections next year.
"We believe for the next legislative elections the most important thing to do is establishing the profiles of the candidates. Therefore Golkar will focus on strengthening their electability," Agun Gunandjar Sudarsa said when met at the parliament building here on Monday.
He was asked to comment on an observer`s comment that Golkar had lost in the West Java gubernatorial election on Sunday because the electability of its candidate was not strong and the party`s machinery could not help him.
Agun said profiles of the candidates that would run in the legislative elections later would determine the fate of the candidates because people could not choose based upon their missions, visions or programs.
"So, personality will determine. And so parties that offer candidates with low electability would lose," he said.
With regard to the fact he said Golkar has formulated a strategy to meet the elections in 2014, including nominating current parliament members who collected big votes in the last elections.
"Those who were elected with big votes in the last elections would be prioritized," he added.
In view of that he said Golkar has decided to revoke its earlier decision to not nominate those who have been in the parliament for two or three terms.
"We have considered to nominate them again because people are found to still like them," he said.
Agun said Golkar is optimistic it will win the legislative and later presidential elections in 2014.
He said the results of the West Java gubernatorial election have no correlations with the next legislative and presidential elections.
An observer from the Indonesian Institute, Hanta Yudha, has said Golkar has lost in the West Jave gubernatorial elections because the electability of its candidate was not strong.
"Golkar in the election did not coalesce with any other party showing it was not serious enough to win it," he said.
He said the province meanwhile is a barometer as 20 percent of the country`s voters live in the region.
Hanta said in order to win the legislative and presidential elections next year Golkar must have candidates with a strong electoral magnet.
Golkar finished second in the last general elections after Democrat Party while the Indonesia Democratic Party Struggle (PDIP) finished third.
(Y012/H-YH/O001)
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2013
