House Speaker post open for debate: Syarwan<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A leading figure set to represent the Armed
\nForces in the House of Representatives (DPR) said that no one
\nperson was assured of occupying the House speaker position.<\/p>\n
Outgoing Armed Forces chief of sociopolitical affairs Lt. Gen.
\nSyarwan Hamid maintained that House members still had a month to
\ndiscuss or join the race for House speaker.<\/p>\n
\"House members will only know who the leading candidates are
\nafter Oct. 1,\" Syarwan told reporters after a military handover
\nceremony here which saw him replaced by Lt. Gen. Yusuf Yosfiah.<\/p>\n
Traditionally the speaker's post has been occupied by the
\nleader of the political party or faction which holds the most
\nseats in the House.<\/p>\n
Five hundred members of the House will be sworn in on Oct. 1
\nto serve a five-year term.<\/p>\n
Of these, 425 were chosen through the May 29 general election.
\nThe remaining 75 seats were allocated to the Armed Forces who do
\nnot participate in elections.<\/p>\n
Syarwan said House members could still lobby each other in a
\nbid to gain as many votes for each of their candidates as
\npossible.<\/p>\n
\"It's not true when people say that the House speaker post is
\nprearranged,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Since the New Order, the speaker's seat has always gone to the
\nhead of the dominant Golkar faction.<\/p>\n
Syarwan, who will join the unprecedented crash course for new
\nlegislators next Tuesday, has been rumored to have a chance at
\nbecoming House speaker for the 1997\/2002 term.<\/p>\n
But Armed Forces Chief. Gen. Feisal Tanjung seemed to dismiss
\nthe suggestions when he said yesterday that Syarwan would be
\nassigned to a deputy House speaker post.<\/p>\n
\"Syarwan Hamid will hold a deputy House speaker post, while
\nthe new ABRI chief of sociopolitical affairs (Yunus) will lead
\nthe Armed Forces faction in MPR,\" said Feisal separately after
\nthe ceremony.<\/p>\n
The leading man for the House speaker post is Golkar chairman
\nHarmoko.<\/p>\n
A veteran minister who served 14 consecutive years as minister
\nof information, Harmoko was hastily replaced by R. Hartono in
\nJune. Harmoko was then given a newly created post as state
\nminister for special assignments.<\/p>\n
Earlier last month, Feisal guaranteed that the victorious
\nelection contestant would be given the House speaker position.<\/p>\n
Harmoko lead Golkar to a sweeping victory during the May
\ngeneral election capturing 74 percent of the popular vote.<\/p>\n
Minister\/State Secretary Moerdiono also said that Harmoko
\ndeserved the House's top job.<\/p>\n
Moerdiono argued that it would be logical if all 325 Golkar
\nlegislators in the House supported Harmoko's nomination for the
\nspeaker position.<\/p>\n
When asked about the Armed Forces' presidential candidate,
\nboth Feisal and Syarwan balked saying only that it would be
\ndivulged before the general meeting of the People's Consultative
\nAssembly (MPR) next year.<\/p>\n
The 1,000-strong assembly will convene in March to elect the
\ncountry's new president and vice president and to draw up the
\nBroad Guidelines of State Policies.<\/p>\n
Prior to yesterday's transfer-of-duty ceremony, Yunus was
\npromoted from a two-star to a three-star general earlier in the
\nmorning.<\/p>\n
Also promoted to three-star generals were Commandant General
\nof the National Military Academy Lt. Gen. Muzani Syukur; Armed
\nForces Headquarters official Lt. Gen. M. Yusuf Kartanegara, and
\nCommander of the Armed Forces' Staff and Command School Lt. Gen.
\nArie J. Kumaat.<\/p>\n
Two other high-ranking officials were promoted to two-star
\ngenerals and two others to one-star generals. (imn)<\/p>",
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