Celebrity Islamists, including mother daughter team Emilia Contessa and Denada Tambunan, line up for the Development Party in 2009.

Celebrity Candidates – PPP

The United Development Party, Partai Persatuan Pembangunan (PPP), is fielding at least 10 candidates in the 2009 general elections who can be considered celebrities, one of them being former actress-singer of 1970’s-80’s vintage Emilia Contessa.

Emilia Contessa, intoning one of her karaoke favourites, “Untuk Apa”.

Emilia is confident of winning, given that she is a popular person and a hard worker, and especially after a recent Constitutional Court ruling that ensured election results are determined purely on the numbers of votes for each candidate, instead of being based on party selection list order.

Emilia has been active in the party for many years and will stand for a seat in Probolinggo, East Java, her hometown, as will her daughter Denada Tambunan. vivanews

Islamist babe Denada Tambunan.

Denada Elizabeth Anggia Ayu Tambunan, born in 1978 and educated in Australia, sings dangdut songs and also appears in television soap operas.

Meanwhile Bima Arya from the Institute for Political Leadership Studies (Lead Institute) suggests the PPP will field virtually any artist that puts his or her name forward opiniindonesia

The quality level of the celebrities on their list is very, very worrying.

Although it seems the PPP may have some limits – the name of sexy actress-singer Julia Perez also once appeared on PPP pre-selection lists, however for mysterious reasons she failed to make the official cut.

Julia Perez, trying to do her bit for an Islamic state.

No other party has as many celebrities running, with the possible exception of the Partai Amanat Nasional (PAN). Here is a partial list of some other names:

1. Marissa Haque (Dapil 1 West Java)
2. Evie Tamala (Dapil 10 West Java)
3. Lyra Virna/Eris Scada (Eric Scada/Syarif Kasim) (Dapil Riau 2)
4. Okky Asokawati (Dapil 2 DKI Jakarta)
5. Ratih “SANG” Sanggarwati (Dapil 1 East Java)
6. Rahman Yacob (Dapil 1 Lampung)
7. Ust Haryono (Dapil 5 East Java)
8. Syaiful Islam Al Payage, (TV cleric) (Dapil Papua)
9. Icuk Sugiarto (Badminton champ) (Dapil 5 Central Java)

Lost Sheep

Recently the party held its 36th anniversary celebrations, and chairman Suryadharma Ali was pleased to announce that among the 12,000 people in attendance were 200 senior Muslim clerics who had not long ago deserted the party to help establish rival parties, but had now returned to the PPP fold, among whom included Syukron Makmun (co-founder of Partai Kebangkitan Nahdlatul Ummah, PKNU) and Zainuddin MZ (co-founder of Partai Bintang Reformasi, PBR).

Syukron Makmun alone had 2,000 students under him, Ali enthused. The PPP could never afford to be without its clerical base, he said, and with the re-influx of such people he hoped the Party could lift its vote from 8% in 2004 to 15% this year.

Rhoma Irama entertaining a PPP rally.

Meanwhile another celebrity, and aging singer, Rhoma Irama, put in an appearance as always. republika