Golkar and Army to field only one VP candidate<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Dominant political organization Golkar and its
\ntraditional allies, the Armed Forces and the bureaucracy, have
\nagreed to name only one candidate for the vice presidency, Golkar
\nchairman Harmoko said yesterday.<\/p>\n
Harmoko made the comment to counter speculation that the
\ncoalition had been split over the vice presidential nomination.<\/p>\n
\"There is no reason to worry about our partnership, it's solid
\n(because) it has been tested for a long time. That's why we will
\nonly announce one candidate for sure,\" Harmoko said.<\/p>\n
He said the name of the sole candidate would be unveiled in
\nthe general session of the People's Consultative Assembly in
\nMarch as scheduled.<\/p>\n
The 1,000-member Assembly will gather here in March to elect a
\npresident and vice president.<\/p>\n
However, Harmoko did not say whether the coalition -- better
\nknown as the Golkar Big Family -- would first consult incumbent
\nPresident Soeharto, whom they have nominated for the next five-
\nyear term, about the vice presidential candidate.<\/p>\n
\"The only certain thing is that a vice presidential candidate
\nmust be approved by the elected president. Now the president
\nhasn't even been elected,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Soeharto chairs the powerful Golkar board of patrons. He
\nannounced Tuesday his decision to run in the presidential
\nelection in March.<\/p>\n
Harmoko said last week after completing a Ramadhan tour
\nthrough Java that the consultation on the vice presidency with
\nSoeharto would run through Golkar's internal mechanism.<\/p>\n
Armed Forces Chief of Sociopolitical Affairs Lt. Gen. Yunus
\nYosfiah said the Armed Forces welcomed either a military or
\ncivilian figure for the vice presidential post.<\/p>\n
\"It's wrong to assume that a military figure must fill the
\nvice presidential seat to maintain national stability,\" Yunus
\nsaid upon closing a course on sociopolitical affairs at the Armed
\nForces Staff and Command School in Bandung yesterday.<\/p>\n
\"Let's not exaggerate the issue of civilian and military
\nfigures into a polemic,\" he added.<\/p>\n
He said the Armed Forces would announce its vice presidential
\ncandidate based on a set of criteria recently announced by Golkar
\nand its allies.<\/p>\n
\"Our candidate could be either a military or a civilian
\nfigure. The requirements will serve as a guideline to select
\ncandidates,\" he said.<\/p>\n
One of the requirements is a mastery of science and
\ntechnology, which many has said points in favor of State Minister
\nof Research and Technology B.J. Habibie who has served in the
\ncabinet for 20 years.<\/p>\n
Yunus said the requirement was an inevitable necessity for the
\ncountry, but it did not refer to a certain name.<\/p>\n
\"It can be Habibie, or Pak Ginandjar (Kartasasmita),\" Yunus
\nsaid. Ginandjar is the State Minister of National Development
\nPlanning. (43\/amd)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/golkar-and-army-to-field-only-one-vp-candidate-1447893297",
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