S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 04 JAKARTA 013526
SIPDIS
NOFORN
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/18/2026
TAGS: PINR, PGOV, PTER, KISL, ID
SUBJECT: INDONESIAN BIOGRAPHICAL AND POLITICAL GOSSIP,
QS3&4 2006
REF: A. JAKARTA 13121 (SPEAKER'S VOUCHER SCANDAL)
B. JAKARTA 13173 (SHOWDOWN OVER REFORM UNIT)
C. JAKARTA 8261 (Q2 BIO/POL GOSSIP)
D. JAKARTA 5851 (Q1 BIO/POL GOSSIP)
JAKARTA 00013526 001.2 OF 004
Classified By: Classified By: Political Officer Eric W. Kneedler, reaso
n 1.4 (d).
SUMMARY
-------
1. (S/NF) Allegations of increasing influence peddling by the
first family......The latest scuttlebutt on possible cabinet
moves......Survival of the fittest for Golkar
leadership.....Snapshots of likely/possible 2009 presidential
contenders.....Continued dissatisfaction with Megawati in the
PDI-P ranks....This cable is the latest in a series that
hasprovided political tidbits and rumors, rather than more
developed information. Most of the gossip stems from single
but well-placed sources. End Summary.
YUDHOYONO FAMILY BECOMING MORE ACTIVE IN BUSINESS?
--------------------------------------------- ------
2. (C) Several contacts have claimed in recent weeks that the
first family -- Mrs. Ani Yudhoyono in particular -- has
become increasingly active in ursuing business
opportunities. Such talk has crculated amongst the
political elite since SBY fist took office in 2004, but the
frequency and inensity of these rumors appears to be higher
thanusual. Most of the rumors are short on specifics,
however, and generally seem to gain currency priarily
because of SBY's modest financial means. I a country where
back room deals and envelopes uder the table still determine
political alliance and party endorsements, it is widely
assumed SB's precarious financial standing could jeopardize
his re-election efforts. SBY's supporters and advrsaries
both recognize this core financial vulneability and rumors
that suggest he may be exploiing the presidency to address
this issue seem togain traction as a result.
3. (S) National Mandte Party legislator Alvin Lie told us in
Novemberthat SBY allowed his wife to partner with Pertamin
Director Ari Soemarno and an unnamed intermediay to extract
$1 from eac"h barrel of oil that Indnesia imports. Alvin
said SBY approved the arragement in order to help finance
his campaign. Acording to Alvin, the relationship would
only las 18 months, by which point the campaign would
prsumably be in pretty good financial shape (Note: Avin has
hinted at these charges in public DPR hearings as well as in
the media, but not in overly explicit terms. End Note).
Alvin claimed his vague public accusations hit a nerve in the
palace, and told us he received "many" phone calls from
people indirectly connected to the first family asking "how
much he wanted" to keep the full story quiet. According to
Alvin, he told them he was only interested in ensuring the
President did not use Pertamina "as an ATM machine" and would
release more of what he knew in an effort to keep the first
family in line.
CABINET RESHUFFLE ON HOLD
--------------------------
4. (C/NF) Dave Laksono, a key political operator of House of
Representatives Chairman Agung Laksono, told us in
mid-November that SBY informed members of the coalition
government that he would not make any adjustments to his
cabinet until March of 2007 or later. This assessment tracks
with what we have heard from several other Golkar officials,
as well as from contacts in other political parties.
5. (C/NF) According to Dave Laksono, Coordinating Minister
for People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie is the only Minister
virtually assured of losing his job in the reshuffle, a move
that would presumably allow SBY to distance himself from the
Lapindo disaster.
6. (C) A top advisor to the President told the Ambassador in
November that Agung Laksono presented SBY with a list of 10
Golkar representatives for consideration as potential cabinet
members and urged that they all be appointed. According to
SBY's advisor, the President was irritated with the
nonchalance with which Laksono made the request, as well as
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the unrealistic size of the list.
7. (C) Several contacts in the Indonesian Democratic Party -
Struggle (PDI-P) tell us SBY has gone to great lengths to try
and mend fences with Megawati and enlist PDI-P support for
the government. Former PDI-P legislator and current
Indonesian Ambassador to New Zealand Amris Hassan told us
that SBY had talked extensively with Megawati's husband
Taufik Kiemas about tapping prominent PDI-P figures for the
cabinet; Taufik reportedly signaled his interest in
collaborating. According to Hassan and others within the
party, however, Megawati vigorously objected to the proposal
and has vetoed any and all talk of partnering with the
government.
MEGA LOSING HER PARTY AND PDI-P STRUGGLING TO FIND ITS WAY
--------------------------------------------- -------------
8. (C/NF) According to Amris Hassan, there is a growing sense
of disillusionment within the PDI-P ranks over Megawati's
stewardship of the party. Hassan bemoaned Megawati's
inability to chart a coherent opposition strategy for PDI-P
and said that he expected a growing number of high profile
defections from the party unless changes were forthcoming.
Hassan told us that Megawati's obsequious inner circle
contributed to her leadership struggles as she was rarely
challenged or prompted to consider alternative viewpoints
from her own.
9. (C/NF) Hassan told us PDI-P members were becoming
increasingly aware of the fact that PDI-P was viewed as
little more than a Megawati cult of personality, and that
most party members understood this would not translate into
electoral success in 2009. He also told us that one of the
contributing factors to his decision to accept the
Ambassadorial posting to New Zealand was the knowledge that
he would be able to distance himself from the party's
dysfunctional leadership.
10. (C/NF) In a mid-November meeting with PDI-P Research and
Development Director Mohamad Prakosa, Prakosa told us that
Megawati had directed him to research and analyze ways to
improve PDI-P's performance. Prakosa told us the party
recognized the fact that Megawati's favorability ratings were
low, and he conceded that some members of the party were
interested in the possibility of alternative leadership.
Prakosa admitted that his primary job was to "revitalize"
PDI-P and find a way to broaden the party's appeal.
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST IN GOLKAR
---------------------------------
11. (C/NF) Dave Laksono told us his father, Agung Laksono,
was coming under heavy fire from Indonesian media mogul and
Golkar heavyweight Surya Paloh. According to Dave Laksono,
Paloh was systematically working to undermine his father's
standing in the party in a transparent effort to depose Agung
Laksono as Golkar Deputy Chairman and pave the way for his
own appointment as Deputy. Dave Laksono said that during
Golkar's annual leadership meeting in mid-November, Paloh
used party proxies to try and create a new leadership
position within the party that would have diluted Agung
Laksono's influence; the initiative ultimately failed after
Agung Laksono successfully argued the move violated Golkar
bylaws. Dave Laksono also said Paloh used surrogates in the
DPR to try and impugn Agung Laksono's character in the DPR by
accusing him of improperly handing out state education
vouchers (Ref A). Dave Laksono told us that Paloh was
receiving direct assistance in his efforts from Vice
President Kalla, who he asserted felt threatened by Agung
Laksono's access to the President.
PKS STILL UNDECIDED ON WHETHER TO SUPPORT THE GOVERNMENT
--------------------------------------------- -----------
12. (C/NF) Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) legislator Fahri
Hamzah told us in late November that PKS was still debating
whether to continue its association with the President and
the coalition government. According to Hamzah, PKS Chairman
Tifatul Sembiring and other top members of the leadership
felt as though the President treated them as "junior
partners" and only sought PKS counsel on issues when it was
JAKARTA 00013526 003.2 OF 004
politically expedient to do so. Hamzah cited as an example
the very public donnybrook between the President and Golkar
over SBY's plans for an economic reform unit (Ref B). While
most of the media attention focused on the fact that SBY
failed to seek Golkar's input on the planned reform
initiative, Hamzah noted that PKS was also left out of the
loop. According to Hamzah, SBY not only failed to coordinate
the planned Reform Unit with PKS, but he compounded his error
by soliciting the party's support only when it became
apparent that Golkar opposed it. Though PKS did not
necessarily disagree with the President's desire to establish
the Reform Unit, according to Hamzah, the whole episode
alienated many members of the PKS leadership structure.
POSSIBLE 2009 PRESIDENTIAL CHALLENGERS
---------------------------------------
13. (C) As of right now, the list of prospective opponents
for 2009 remains short and unimpressive, a recycled lineup of
has-beens and long-shot wannabes. It includes:
- Former President Megawati: Arguably the only political
figure with the potential to mount a legitimate threat, she
has stumbled in the opposition and failed to articulate a
competing vision for the country. Having already beaten back
one challenge to her authority in PDI-P, several of our
contacts in the party report growing disenchantment with her
policy of "opposition for the sake of opposition," and openly
admit they believe she could never be re-elected as
president. Though it is hard to imagine a PDI-P ticket
without her at the top, Megawati would have to overcome
lingering questions about her first presidency, and very low
favorability numbers (28% in the most recent credible
polling), to beat SBY in 2009.
- Former General Wiranto: Like former President Megawati, is
handicapped by the fact that he already lost to SBY. Wiranto
is also out of power, not formally attached to any political
party, and dogged by concerns about his human rights track
record. Despite the long odds, Wiranto's handlers tell us he
is angling for a way to make a run at the presidency in 2009;
he also reportedly has a sizeable war chest at his disposal.
- Former People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Chairman Amien
Rais: According to Alvin Lie, a close contact of his, Rais
is contemplating another run at the presidential palace. Lie
affirms that Rais does not seriously think he can win, but
feels compelled to take one final shot at the job in 2009
while he still can.
- Former President Abdurrahman Wahid (aka Gus Dur): The
enigmatic former president has also publicly discussed
running for president again in 2009. Gus Dur's own daughter,
Yenny Wahid, tells us she does not even know for sure if he
will run, and it is hard to say whether he should be taken
seriously when he talks about his interest. In any case,
there is very little evidence to suggest his potential
candidacy would be treated as anything more than a novelty
act, especially since he would likely be disqualified on
medical grounds once again.
- Former Golkar Party Chairman Akbar Tandjung: Akbar is also
reportedly working behind the scenes to position himself for
2009. Without direct access to the Golkar party machinery or
a public position to keep his name in the headlines, our
contacts tell us his best bet would be to secure a possible
VP slot on a Megawati ticket.
- People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Chairman Hidayat Nur
Wahid: Hidayat is the former president of PKS and the
party's biggest star. A credible local polling outfit puts
his favorability ratings around 30% and most of our contacts
seem to believe he will surface in 2009 as a VP candidate,
the perfect running mate for a presidential candidate
interested in solidifying support with the Islamist parties.
In terms of his viability as a stand alone presidential
candidate, our PKS contacts believe both Hidayat and the PKS
leadership are waiting for 2014.
- Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso: The one fresh face on the list
is a two-term Governor of Indonesia's capital region and a
national figure with a reputation as a firm and assertive
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leader. Sutiyoso's successful track record managing the
unwieldy metropolis of Jakarta, coupled with his deep
pockets, make him an intriguing dark horse presidential
candidate. Several of our contacts tell us he is interested
in running as either the vice president or the president.
His current term expires next year.
- Vice President Jusuf Kalla: He harbors presidential
ambitions but would have a hard time challenging SBY for two
fundamental reasons: 1.) conventional wisdom holds that only
Javanese politicians can win the presidency: Kalla is from
South Sulawesi; and 2.) his popularity appears to be directly
tied to the President's; as SBY becomes more popular, so too
does the VP, and vice versa, making it hard to see how Kalla
could distinguish himself in any meaningful way. Kalla
recently stated publicly that his background would make him
unelectable.
HEFFERN