Emil congratulates new Presidnet and Vice President<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Senior economist Emil Salim proved he was a
\ngraceful loser yesterday, bowing out of the election arena by
\nsending a congratulatory message to B.J. Habibie whom the
\nPeople's Consultative Assembly chose ahead of him as the new vice
\npresident.<\/p>\n
Emil, who was named as a vice presidential candidate by more
\nthan 10,000 people, told a media briefing last night that he
\nwrote letters to President Soeharto and Habibie congratulating
\nthem on their election victories.<\/p>\n
\"Allow me to respectfully congratulate you on (your)
\nreelection by the People's Consultative Assembly as 1998\/2003
\npresident, with the hope that Allah will grant you health and
\nwisdom (so that you will be able) to govern the country in the
\nshiratal mustaqiem (straight way),\" Emil quoted his own letter to
\nSoeharto.<\/p>\n
In his letter to Habibie, Emil also expressed his hope that
\nAllah would grant Ainun Besari -- Habibie's wife -- both physical
\nand spiritual strength so she could be a source of inspiration
\nfor her husband as he carries out his new duties.<\/p>\n
Emil sent two other letters yesterday, to the members of the
\nAssembly and to his supporters who called themselves Gema Madani.
\nThe group, whose name means the Echo of Civil Society, consists
\nof dozens of well-known academics, non-governmental organization
\nactivists and other public figures.<\/p>\n
Emil called on the two groups to take part in the campaign
\nfor, among other things, legal, economic and political reform. He
\nalso called on them to participate in the creation of a civil
\nsociety, which did not discriminate against anyone, and in the
\nenhancement of the nation's ability to face the era of global
\ncompetition.<\/p>\n
During the first few days of the 11-day MPR General Session,
\nGema Madani urged Golkar legislators to consider Emil for the
\npost of vice president, claiming to have collected more than
\n10,000 signatures supporting their candidate's nomination.<\/p>\n
They said the supporters of the nomination came from myriad
\nsocioeconomic, political and educational backgrounds and ranged
\nfrom housewives to Emil's former cabinet colleagues.<\/p>\n
The group finally found it impossible to continue its campaign
\nafter the dominant Assembly faction, and the four other factions,
\nclosed the door on all candidates other than Habibie.<\/p>\n
\"That shows that MPR members are not yet capable of accepting
\nsomething beyond what they have previously discussed. This is
\nwhat we should correct in the future,\" Emil said, adding that
\ncorrecting this would show that the Assembly upheld democracy.<\/p>\n
Emil also called on people throughout the country to join
\nforces with him to strive to improve the nation's life.<\/p>\n
Among the prominent Gema Madani figures present at the
\nbriefing were psychology professor Saparinah Sadli; owner of the
\nMerdeka daily Herawati Diah; the chairwoman of the Indonesian
\nConsumers Federation, Tini Hadad; National Commission on Human
\nRights member Albert Hasibuan and social observer Ismid Hadad.
\n(swa)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/emil-congratulates-new-presidnet-and-vice-president-1447893297",
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