In a move that could end years of bitter rivalry, prominent military figures Prabowo Subianto and Wiranto have hinted at the possibility of joining forces in the next presidential election.
In separate statements both Prabowo, chief patron of the Greater Indonesian Movement Party (Gerindra) and Wiranto, chairman of the People's Conscience Party (Hanura), admitted competing against either President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono or former president Megawati Soekarnoputri would be difficult in the absence of a coalition.
Pressure has been mounting for parties to merge since a recent law stated that only a party, or coalition of parties, could contest the presidential elections if it secured at least 20 percent of House of Representatives seats or 25 percent of popular votes in the legislative elections.
"There is no other way. We have to form a coalition with a party, and I think Hanura is one of the options. Pak Wiranto and myself are (loyal to) red and white," Prabowo said Friday, referring to the two parties' nationalist platform.
Prabowo was speaking after a "nostalgic meeting" with Timor Leste armed forces chief of staff Col. Lere Anan Timur. Both were adversaries when Timor Leste was part of Indonesia.
Wiranto has also acknowledged that Hanura should team up with other parties, including Gerindra, to qualify for the presidential election.
Wiranto said whoever secured the highest vote in terms of popularity and electability in the national polls deserved the chance to run for presidency, whether it was himself, Prabowo or anybody else in the coalition.
A recent survey by the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) found Wiranto and Prabowo were neck to neck in the polls and were the third and fourth most popular presidential candidates respectively behind Yudhoyono and Megawati. A different survey by the National Leadership Centee (NLC) ranked Prabowo third, ahead of Wiranto.
More recent surveys however have consistently put Gerindra above Hanura, attributing the result to aggressive TV ads.
Prabowo said Gerindra would not depend solely on TV ads but would run an intensive campaign at a grassroots level.
Speculation has been rife for the last few weeks that the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) would support a coalition between Prabowo and Wiranto, forming a third axis to compete with Yudhoyono and Megawati.
Although not ruling out a possibility of supporting such a coalition, PKS faction chairman at the House of Representatives Mahfudz Siddiq said any formal coalition involving PKS nominating a presidential candidate would be decided after the legislative election in April 2009.
"Right now, we are open to communication with any parties or figures," Mahfudz said.
In a bid to lure more voters, PKS has run television campaigns featuring prominent figures identifiable with Wiranto and Probowo, including former president Soeharto, to boost their image as national heroes.
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