October 29, 2008	Wednesday	Shawwal 29, 1429

YOGYAKARTA (Indonesia), Oct 28: The Sultan of Yogyakarta, a revered Indonesian royal who has long harboured political ambitions, told an audience of thousands made up of princes and commoners that he would run for president next year.

Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, whom many Javanese regard as semi-divine, said he would address widespread unemployment and poverty if he won the election against incumbent Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

“Fulfilling the call of the mother country, I am ready to be the president in 2009,” the sultan, 62, told a crowd of about 200,000 who braved the rain to gather in Yogyakarta's main square to hear him speak, applauding enthusiastically.

Hamengkubuwono, who is also governor of Yogyakarta, is not the first Indonesian royal to dabble in politics.

Some of his royal counterparts from the various kratons, or palaces, in Bali and elsewhere have joined political parties.

Some of his ancestors famously resisted the Dutch colonial powers, while his father served as vice president under the late president Suharto.

The royal family's support for independence from the Dutch helped to cement their popularity in Java, home to more than 58 per cent of Indonesia's total population.

More recently, in 1998, the sultan's call for national unity at the height of Indonesia's political and economic crisis helped his political credentials. He remains popular in Java, the island with the most political clout.

But Hamengkubuwono may struggle to beat Yudhoyono, the current front-runner. A recent opinion poll put Yudhoyono's support at 32 per cent, ahead of former president Megawati Sukarnoputri's 24 per cent.

The sultan had the support of about 4 per cent, slightly behind Wiranto, Suharto's former army chief.

Born Bendoro Raden Mas Herjuno Darpito, the sultan inherited the title of “beholder of the universe” in 1989 on the death of his father, who famously used to sneak out of the palace in disguise to mingle and talk to ordinary people in the market.The current sultan loves golf and is pro-business, but he still rules as a demigod over Yogyakarta, which is renowned for its art, culture, and large student population, and where palace staff traditionally walk in a crouching position in his presence.—Reuters