Hartono's rise 'proves political unpredictability'<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto's surprise appointment of
\nArmy Chief of Staff Gen. Hartono as minister of information
\nconfirmed the unpredictable nuance of domestic politics, an
\nanalyst said yesterday.<\/p>\n
Johanes Kristiadi of the Center for Strategic and
\nInternational Studies admitted that he had never expected the
\nappointment.<\/p>\n
\"It came as a surprise only because cabinet ministers under
\nthe New Order have almost always completed their terms of
\noffice,\" Kristiadi said.<\/p>\n
\"But in Indonesia, anything can happen and it is beyond
\neverybody's expectation,\" he added.<\/p>\n
The incumbent Minister of Information Harmoko will become the
\nstate minister for special assignments.<\/p>\n
The cabinet changes are the third in the last two years.
\nSoeharto dismissed State Minister of Food Ibrahim Hasan as the
\nhead of the Logistics Board in February 1995; a position he was
\nholding concurrently with Satrio Budiharjo Judono. Satrio was
\ndismissed as minister of trade in December 1995.<\/p>\n
Kristiadi speculated that Hartono's and Harmoko's new jobs
\nwould only be temporary pending the general session of the
\nPeople's Consultative Assembly next March to deliberate the
\nguidelines of state policy and elect a president and vice
\npresident for 1998 until 2003.<\/p>\n
He said that Hartono, whose extended military service will end
\nnext Tuesday, was awarded the new job in recognition of his
\nmerits.<\/p>\n
\"He has a great chance to stay in the new cabinet, perhaps as
\nthe minister of defense,\" Kristiadi said, adding that the
\nMinistry of Information was an appropriate place for Hartono
\nbecause of Harmoko's double responsibilities as minister and
\nchairman of the dominant party, Golkar.<\/p>\n
Harmoko looked set to be elected speaker of the House of
\nRepresentatives, Kristiadi said.<\/p>\n
\"The new position will help Harmoko prepare material for the
\nguidelines of state policy to be presented before the general
\nassembly next March,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Minister of Research and Technology B.J. Habibie was of a
\nsimilar opinion. He said promoting a Golkar chairman to the
\nHouse's top post had been done before.<\/p>\n
\"Logically, the chairman of the biggest political party and
\nelection winner has a great chance of leading the House,\" Habibie
\nsaid after opening a national meeting of the Association of
\nIndonesian Moslem Intellectuals (ICMI) in Surabaya, East Java.<\/p>\n
Habibie was referring to the incumbent House Speaker Wahono
\nwho led Golkar to its fourth straight landslide victory in the
\n1992 election.<\/p>\n
Habibie said it was well known that Hartono and Harmoko were
\nSoeharto's best aides.<\/p>\n
\"Wisdom was behind the President's decision to make changes in
\nthe cabinet,\" said Habibie.<\/p>\n
The chairman of the Muhammadiyah Moslem organization, Amien
\nRais, who attended the ICMI meeting, echoed Habibie's assessment
\nof the cabinet changes.<\/p>\n
\"I think they were a simple matter, although we have to wait
\nand see for the next one or two days,\" Amien said.<\/p>\n
He dismissed speculation that the cabinet changes had
\nsomething to do with the vice presidential election.<\/p>\n
\"This is not a chess game in which everybody knows where the
\nmatch is leading,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"President Soeharto is a wise man who has never allowed room
\nfor changing policy in political development in the past 30
\nyears,\" Amien said. (nur\/amd)<\/p>",
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