Soeharto 'should accept renomination'<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto should accept his
\nrenomination for another term of office to help ensure a safe and
\nsmooth national leadership succession, according to a political
\nobserver.<\/p>\n
\"For the sake of a smooth succession, it would be better if
\nPresident Soeharto agree to being renominated,\" former home
\naffairs minister Rudini said here yesterday. \"We are hoping that
\nhe accepts. It will help guarantee a smooth presidential
\nsuccession.\"<\/p>\n
Rudini, now chairman of the Institute for Strategic Studies of
\nIndonesia, an informal military think tank, however, also
\nsuggested Soeharto step down before the next five-year term is
\nover.<\/p>\n
\"President Soeharto should hand over the national leadership
\nto the vice president after he concludes the second year of
\noffice,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Such steps, he said, will prepare the vice president for the
\nnational leadership.<\/p>\n
It is necessary for Indonesia to hold a careful vice
\npresidential nomination as they would have to be prepared for
\neventual promotion to the country's number one position, he said.<\/p>\n
He added he was sure that Soeharto still has the support of at
\nleast 70 percent of Indonesia's 200 million population,
\nespecially those living in villages.<\/p>\n
Rudini was commenting on a recent statement by Soeharto that
\npeople wanting to nominate him should consider his age. On
\nTuesday, Soeharto told a delegation of the Indonesian National
\nYouth Committee that next year, when the People's Consultative
\nAssembly convenes to elect a president and vice president, he
\nwill be 77.<\/p>\n
\"Am I really capable? Also take into account that there must
\nbe many people who want to become president,\" Soeharto said.<\/p>\n
He had also cautioned that the various appeals for him to stay
\nat the helm may create an impression that his nomination was
\nrigged to preserve the political status quo, and that he was to
\nbecome president for life.<\/p>\n
If re-elected by the general assembly of the People's
\nConsultative Assembly (MPR) in March next year, Soeharto will
\nenter his fifth consecutive term of presidency.<\/p>\n
Separately, political observer Juwono Sudarsono dismissed
\nspeculation that Soeharto's statement meant he was rejecting his
\nrenomination.<\/p>\n
\"He was actually asking whether there were any other eligible
\npersons to replace him. His statement shows his class as a
\nstatesman,\" he told reporters in his office yesterday.<\/p>\n
He said that replacing a president who has governed a country
\nfor 30 years was not an easy task.<\/p>\n
Juwono, who is also deputy governor of the National Resilience
\nInstitute, a military think tank, said there was a possibility
\nthat Soeharto would eventually agree to being renominated.<\/p>\n
Challenges<\/p>\n
Juwono said Indonesia's next president would face greater
\nchallenges than Soeharto, particularly because that person could
\nnot have as great a charisma as Soeharto has.<\/p>\n
This was why the third president should be carefully prepared
\nfrom now, he said.<\/p>\n
Juwono said the vice presidential post is very important,
\nbecause, at Soeharto's age, the position is more strategic.<\/p>\n
On another occasion, State Minister of Youth Affairs and
\nSports Hayono Isman said Soeharto has an outstanding health
\nrecord which will enable him to stay in office for another five-
\nyear term.<\/p>\n
\"Compared to most people his age, he... manages to maintain
\nhis physical fitness. I think he will remain fit in the next five
\nyears,\" Hayono said after a meeting with House Speaker Wahono at
\nthe House of Representatives yesterday.<\/p>\n
Hayono also hailed Soeharto for gracefully heeding younger
\npeople's demands for change.<\/p>\n
\"Usually, the older a man is, the more conservative he
\nbecomes. But he (Soeharto) is different... he himself sometimes
\ninitiates changes,\" said Hayono.<\/p>\n
Health expert and noted acupuncturist Hembing Wijayakusuma
\nsupported Hayono's opinion about Soeharto's health.<\/p>\n
\"In my opinion, at the age of 77 it should not be an obstacle
\nfor a person to lead this country,\" he told Antara yesterday.<\/p>\n
\"It is not always true that a person in his late seventies
\nshould have lost his physical abilities,\" he said.<\/p>\n
A person's health, no matter what his age is, mainly depends
\non his lifestyle, diet and outlook in life.<\/p>\n
A number of professional groups, mass organizations and
\nindividuals have raised their support for Soeharto's renomination
\nfor the 1998-2003 presidential term.<\/p>\n
So far, only the unrecognized Indonesian Democratic Union
\nParty (PUDI), led by sacked legislator Sri Bintang Pamungkas, has
\nopenly asked for Soeharto's resignation. (imn\/amd)<\/p>\n
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