Soeharto will be 77<\/p>\n
The fact that President Soeharto has found it appropriate to
\nremind Indonesians that he will be 77 years old in 1998 reveals
\nhis perceptive nature. It was President Soeharto himself who said
\nthat he now belongs among the elderly of the Indonesian
\npopulation.<\/p>\n
The question is whether at that advanced age he will still be
\ngiven the People's Consultative Assembly's mandate to lead the
\nnation for another five-year term, 1998-2003. Most politicians
\nand observers are still putting their bets on Soeharto. Not a few
\nof them are of the opinion that at present no national leader
\nexists who is acceptable and capable of replacing him.<\/p>\n
Such an opinion may be correct. However, President Soeharto's
\nremark that this age factor must be kept in mind indicates his
\nopen stance with respect to the imminent interests of the nation
\nand the country.<\/p>\n
The general opinion is although the Assembly has the
\nconstitutional authority to appoint the national leadership, the
\nactual process is not that simple. It appears that the Assembly,
\nwith its 1,000 members, faces a number of constraints. Many
\nfactors affect the effectiveness of its constitutional functions.<\/p>\n
Whether or not President Soeharto's remarks will have an
\nimpact on the 1998 Assembly's general session depends a good deal
\non developments in the existing political infrastructure. Of
\ncourse, President Soeharto's personal role and authority will be
\nof the greatest importance.<\/p>\n
We only hope that, whatever the final impact and outcome of
\nthese developments may be, all parties concerned will maintain
\ntheir commitment to first and foremost serve the future interests
\nof this nation and this county.<\/p>\n
-- Bisnis Indonesia, Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/soeharto-will-be-77-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }