Students group refuses Soeharto's renomination<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A small group of law students dared yesterday to
\ndissent from the increasingly uniform voice of the community by
\nrejecting the renomination of President Soeharto for the
\n1998\/2003 presidency.<\/p>\n
A delegation of 15 members of the Association of the
\nIndonesian Law Students' Councils filed yesterday a petition to
\nGolkar's faction at the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) that
\nthe dominant group name candidates other than 76-year-old
\nSoeharto.<\/p>\n
"President Soeharto is too old to serve another term," said
\nthe association's statement, read out by secretary-general Asep
\nWahyuwijaya.<\/p>\n
"Challenges of the future need fresh answers from state
\nleaders, who are also new," the statement also read.<\/p>\n
In Yogyakarta, chairman of the Muhammadiyah Moslem
\norganization Amien Rais again called for presidential succession
\nnext year.<\/p>\n
"Presidential succession must occur next year. Otherwise,
\nwe'll find it almost impossible to have both political and
\neconomic reform in the country," he said, while addressing a
\nseminar on state leadership succession at Yogyakarta's Gadjah
\nMada University yesterday.<\/p>\n
Amien was confident that President Soeharto was sincere in his
\ncall last month that Golkar reconsider its support for his
\nrenomination.<\/p>\n
Amien said he believed President Soeharto would really be
\nwilling to step down if he is not renominated next year.<\/p>\n
The law students suggested five candidates for the 1998\/2003
\npresidency.<\/p>\n
They were Army Chief of Staff Gen. Wiranto, Secretary for
\nDevelopment Operations Lt. Gen. A.M. Hendropriyono, State
\nMinister of Research and Technology B.J. Habibie, State Minister
\nof National Development Planning Ginandjar Kartasasmita and
\nMinister of Finance Mar'ie Muhammad.<\/p>\n
Minister of Defense Edi Sudradjat said yesterday nominating
\ncandidates other than Soeharto was not a threat to national
\nstability as long as it was conducted through the Assembly.<\/p>\n
"Having more than one presidential candidate is acceptable in
\nthis democratic age, provided the nomination complies with the
\nmechanism... It does not have anything to do with the
\n(political) crisis," Edi said after a hearing with the House of
\nRepresentatives' Commission I for security and defense.<\/p>\n
He was commenting on the groups of people who have shown
\nreluctance in renominating incumbent President Soeharto for the
\npresidential election in March.<\/p>\n
Edi said the Armed Forces would crush any attempt to campaign
\nfor presidential candidates through unconstitutional means.<\/p>\n
Vice presidency<\/p>\n
Suhardiman, chairman of the military-sponsored labor
\norganization affiliated with Golkar, SOKSI, said the organization
\nhad five names for the country's second top position.<\/p>\n
"They are incumbent Try Sutrisno, Minister of Information R.
\nHartono, Ginandjar Kartasasmita, House Speaker Harmoko and B.J.
\nHabibie," he said at the Horison Hotel in Ancol, North Jakarta,
\nyesterday.<\/p>\n
He dismissed speculation that the organization was naming
\nnames because it planned to gain political favor from whoever was
\nelected vice president.<\/p>\n
"We came up with those names after we had screened a number of
\ncandidates (we believe were) eligible for the vice presidency,"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Criteria<\/p>\n
Rector of Semarang's Diponegoro University and a member of the
\nAssembly's regional representatives faction, Muladi, suggested a
\nset of criteria for the vice presidency.<\/p>\n
"The next vice president must have access to science and
\ntechnology, to sociopolitical elements in the country and also to
\nthe Armed Forces," he said yesterday.<\/p>\n
He said Try Sutrisno, Hartono, Wiranto, Ginandjar, Habibie and
\nEdi Sudradjat met the criteria.<\/p>\n
A political observer at the university, Soehardjo S.S., called
\non the Assembly to accommodate as many vice presidential
\ncandidates as possible in next year's election.<\/p>\n
"Vice presidential nomination should not be dominated by Try
\nSutrisno, Habibie and Hartono only.<\/p>\n
"Other names including Wiranto, former minister of home
\naffairs Rudini, Minister of Transmigration Siswono Yudohusodo,
\nState Minister of Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja and even
\nchairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Moslem organization
\nAbdurrahman Wahid and Amien Rais, could also be nominated," he
\nsaid. (imn\/amd\/har\/23)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/students-group-refuses-soehartos-renomination-1447893297",
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