Soeharto will choose next vice president: Amir<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The President will ultimately choose the next
\nvice president, Golkar former chairman Amir Murtono said
\nyesterday.<\/p>\n
He said the constitution and a House of Representatives decree
\nhad given the President this authority.<\/p>\n
"Our constitution rules that the elected president has the
\nfinal say," Amir told reporters at his home yesterday.<\/p>\n
Amir, also a former deputy House Speaker, said he believed
\nSoeharto would be reelected as President for a sixth consecutive
\nterm.<\/p>\n
"Therefore, the decision on our next vice president will rest
\nmainly with Soeharto," he said.<\/p>\n
Amir, who is close to the President, said that it was
\ntradition that the president selected the vice president.<\/p>\n
He recalled the appointment of Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX in
\nearly 1973 as vice president.<\/p>\n
"It was Soeharto who asked Sri Sultan to become the vice
\npresident," he said.<\/p>\n
Sri Sultan was the first Indonesian vice president in the New
\nOrder government. He helped President Soeharto from 1973 to 1978.<\/p>\n
Amir said Soeharto had appointed Adam Malik as the New Order's
\nsecond vice president.<\/p>\n
Adam Malik, who came from North Sumatra, served Soeharto from
\n1978 to 1983.<\/p>\n
Amir, who led Golkar for two consecutive terms from 1971 to
\n1977 and from 1977 to 1982, said the central board of the
\ndominant Golkar grouping discussed its candidates for vice
\npresident with President Soeharto before their decision was
\nreleased to all members of Golkar.<\/p>\n
"You should remember that President Soeharto is chairman of
\nGolkar's board of patrons," he said, when asked why Golkar should
\ndiscuss its candidates with the President.<\/p>\n
But Amir said that people outside Golkar should not hesitate
\nto name their vice-presidential candidates.<\/p>\n
"People are free to name their candidates. Nobody has the
\nauthority to prohibit them from mentioning names," he said.<\/p>\n
He guaranteed that Soeharto would listen to the people's
\nsuggestions, saying that the President was a very thorough
\nperson, who would carefully evaluate candidates.<\/p>\n
"The President has many staff to monitor and gather input from
\nthe people," he said. "So careful is his evaluation that people
\nare sometimes impatient to find out its results."<\/p>\n
Amir refused to say if it was possible for Try Sutrisno to be
\nreelected as vice president.<\/p>\n
But, he said, there had been no significant problems between
\nSoeharto and Try during the first three years of this five-year
\npresidential term.<\/p>\n
"Try was one of Soeharto's adjutants. He must have known the
\nPresident very well," he said. (imn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/soeharto-will-choose-next-vice-president-amir-1447893297",
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