A clean bill of health<\/p>\n
The return of a beaming President Soeharto from a checkup in
\nGermany last Saturday is not only good news for the country and
\nthe nation, but most importantly it has ended the rampant
\nspeculations on the President's physical condition. Now it is
\nclear that President Soeharto is in excellent health for a man of
\nhis age.<\/p>\n
Although President Soeharto's heart is somewhat enlarged, it
\nis heartening to hear there are no blocked arteries. Although he
\nhas a stone in his left kidney, as doctor Ari Haryanto last
\nweekend said, the President's kidneys are still very healthy for
\nsomeone his age. Now, President Soeharto has only to reduce his
\ncholesterol level and slim down.<\/p>\n
All in all, it is good to hear that President Soeharto will be
\nable to resume active work soon. Because, for weeks before his
\nsurprise trip to Germany, rumors about Soeharto's health flew far
\nand wide, causing concern and anxiety among the public.<\/p>\n
Some people went even as far as to liken the situation with
\n1965, when rumors about president Sukarno's ailing health rocked
\nthe country to the extent that it prompted the now banned
\nIndonesian Communist Party to take the preemptive measure of
\nlaunching a coup to take power. The coup attempt failed and
\neventually president Sukarno's rule collapsed, but it opened up a
\nnew chapter in Indonesian history with the emergence of a New
\nOrder administration under President Soeharto.<\/p>\n
The clean bill of health given by a very competent medical
\nteam to President Soeharto has not only stopped all these rumors
\nbut has also normalized the rupiah and Jakarta Stock Exchange.<\/p>\n
Yet, the brief case of jitters among the business community
\ncaused by the news about Soeharto's health has reminded us that
\nnowadays our economy is so closely linked to the global economic
\nsystem that any occurrence which may affect the country's future
\ncould have a dire impact on the domestic and international
\nmarket.<\/p>\n
Last week's short-lived tension also exposed a very important
\nissue which in the past tended to be deliberately ignored due to
\nits sensitivity: the problem of succession. Of course,
\nconstitutionally we do have some sort of succession mechanism in
\ncase the President is incapacitated. But real politics have shown
\nus that the problem is not that simple, and in fact is much more
\ncomplicated.<\/p>\n
As he has repeatedly said, out of respect for the
\nConstitution, President Soeharto has made no practical provision
\nfor his succession except by reiterating that it is up to the
\nPeople's Consultative Assembly in its session in 1998 to elect a
\nnew president. Given Soeharto's age and unclear health condition,
\nheightened by Mrs. Tien's demise last April, many people in the
\npast months expressed doubt over his capability to serve another
\nterm.<\/p>\n
The doctor's statement last week that President Soeharto is in
\nexcellent health, however, has removed those doubts. Some have
\neven started to believe that one of the motives behind the
\nPresident's trip to Germany was to declare that he is still in
\nshape to lead the country for another five years.<\/p>\n
The real motive of the trip aside, one has to admit that
\nsuccession should indeed be more openly discussed in the future.
\nAlthough we are much in doubt that President Soeharto, after his
\ntrip to Germany, will be more open on this issue, we suggest that
\nthe country's elite should give more serious thought to this
\nmatter. After all, since we are already an inseparable part of
\nthe global system, if it can in any way be prevented, we should
\nmake sure that no more jitters hit our economy and disrupt
\ndevelopment in the future.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/a-clean-bill-of-health-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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