In the shadow of tomorrow<\/p>\n
Every five years, as the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR)
\nprepares to open its meeting, political groupings announce their
\ncandidates for national president.<\/p>\n
Since 1978 the choice has always been the incumbent President
\nSoeharto and current political activity looks like history
\nrepeating itself but with a twist.<\/p>\n
With the election of the national president, by the country's
\nhighest law-making body, still seven months away, the government-
\nbacked Golkar has moved quicker than it did in the 1993
\npresidential election.<\/p>\n
On Monday, the Golkar faction in the House of Representatives
\nsurprised the nation by calling on its central executive board to
\nannounce Soeharto as its national presidential candidate for the
\n1998\/2003 term.<\/p>\n
The Golkar faction's statement, made by its chairman Moestahid
\nAstari, has provoked reactions from several political observers.<\/p>\n
Harmawan Sulistyo, from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences
\n(LIPI), said the early announcement showed that there was a more
\ntransparent political condition now. Another observer said
\nMoestahid was getting the jump on everyone in order to secure a
\nposition in the next cabinet.<\/p>\n
Arbi Sanit, a political observer from the University of
\nIndonesia, said everybody knows that Golkar will support
\nSoeharto's re-election and Moestahid, who is also vice secretary-
\ngeneral of the party, was just trying to collect more points for
\nhis own position.<\/p>\n
We were also surprised by Golkar's statement because in
\nOctober last year the party announced its criteria for a national
\npresidential candidate. Any citizen could easily understand that
\nthis criteria had been made to ensure Soeharto's qualification.<\/p>\n
That the criteria fell short of mentioning his name was
\nperhaps meant to illustrate the party's political shyness. Or,
\nits leaders might have believed that this new method was
\nsophisticated politics.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, many thinking people believe that the
\nminority United Development Party (PPP) will not have the guts to
\noppose Soeharto's re-election. And the attitude of the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party (PDI) will be regarded as worthless by the
\nruling majority since the party was tragically crushed in this
\nyear's general election.<\/p>\n
But Moestahid's activity is surely part of the political game
\nwitnessed every five years among elite politicians. Other
\npastimes include the joint statement of support by social groups
\nand the so-called joint political prayer sayings by seasonal
\npolitical activists.<\/p>\n
What promises to be a more interesting event is the
\nannouncement of candidates for vice president. Political factions
\ndisplay more courage in this field although the president-elect
\nwill have the last say in regard to the vice president-elect
\nsince they must work side by side.<\/p>\n
The important consideration in the vice presidential
\nnomination has always been that the figure be able to take over
\nfrom the head of state. This is especially the case for the next
\nterm, which is very strategic, because Soeharto would be too old
\nto run the country.<\/p>\n
This consideration has been floating around for two decades
\nbut no prediction about Soeharto's health has proven to be
\ncorrect. This includes Soeharto's own statement in his
\nautobiography Soeharto: Pikiran, Ucapan dan Tindakan Saya
\n(Soeharto: My thoughts, Sayings and Deeds), which was published
\nin 1988.<\/p>\n
In the book, Soeharto, then 67, said he believed he was
\nserving his final term as president. \"If I can accomplish this
\nterm in 1993, I'll be 72 when I resign.\" This is old enough, he
\nadded. Today, Soeharto is as healthy as when he made this
\nstatement.<\/p>\n
But why is there so much fuss about Soeharto? China's
\nparamount leader Deng Xiaoping started political reform at the
\nage of 75 and Conrad Adenauer, who was elected West German
\nchancellor at the age of 73 in 1949, said: \"life begins at 80.\"<\/p>\n
Political elites can spend their time speaking about
\npresidential candidates but, for the citizens, there are more
\npressing problems today. These include: how to handle the
\ncurrency crisis, whether our economic fundamentals are really
\nstrong and how to face the devastating effects of a long drought.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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