'Habibie's got slim chance for VP post'<\/p>\n
BANDUNG (JP): The chances of B.J. Habibie, a protegee of
\nPresident Soeharto, clinching the vice-presidential post in 1998
\nare slim, a former general predicted yesterday.<\/p>\n
Lt. Gen. (ret.) Soebijakto, a former governor of the National
\nDefense Institute, argued that Habibie was not a national leader
\nwhose career path came from the \"bottom\".<\/p>\n
Habibie was catapulted to officialdom thanks to his close
\nrelationship with President Soeharto, Soebijakto said after
\naddressing an Islamic Students Association seminar.<\/p>\n
Habibie, a German educated technocrat, is the State Minister
\nof Research and Technology and chairman of the politically well-
\nconnected Association of Indonesian Moslem intellectuals (ICMI).<\/p>\n
He is one of several figures that local mass media
\nspeculations have eyed the vice-presidential post. Others include
\nArmy Chief Gen. Hartono, State Minister for National Development
\nPlanning Ginandjar Kartasasmita and the incumbent Vice-President
\nTry Sutrisno.<\/p>\n
Of the four, Habibie is the only one without a military
\nbackground.<\/p>\n
Indonesia will elect a new president and vice president in
\n1998. So far President Soeharto has been overwhelmed with support
\nfrom various quarters to run again. He not met any serious
\nchallenge.<\/p>\n
\"The future president is predictably Pak (Mr.) Harto again.
\nRemember that the People's Consultative Assembly (which elects
\npresident) is dominated by the ruling Golkar party,\" Soebiyakto
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"So what is up for debate is the vice presidential post,\" he
\nadded.<\/p>\n
Soebijakto said it was hard to predict who would finally win
\nthe vice-presidential race. (17\/pan)<\/p>",
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