Comments on succession draw sharp reactions
Comments on succession draw sharp reactions
JAKARTA (JP): The Supreme Advisory Council's chairman, Sudomo,
has drawn fire for claiming that President Soeharto wants the
future president and vice president to be civilians.
Harmoko, chief of the ruling political party Golkar, said
yesterday that debating the issue surrounding the presidential
succession was "unethical" at present.
"Determining the future president and vice president is the
prerogative right of the People's Consultative Assembly," Harmoko
told journalists, after attending a ministerial meeting.
Sudomo, a long-time protegee of President Soeharto, well-known
for his controversial ideas, said after meeting with ABRI
Commander Gen. Feisal Tanjung Monday that he knew Soeharto has
long wished to have a civilian as his deputy.
Of the five vice presidents who have served Soeharto over the
past 28 years, only the first two, Adam Malik and Sultan Hamengku
Buwono IX, were civilians. The other three, Umar Wirahadikusumah,
Sudharmono and Try Sutrisno are military men.
Sudomo also said that the next president should be a former
cabinet minister, socio-political organization leader or one from
the "university circle".
Harmoko, whose other position is information minister, said
the 1945 Constitution does not make any mention about whether the
vice presidential post should go to a civilian or a military man.
"Golkar will not discuss the presidential succession issue
until 1998," he said, referring to the next presidential
election.
Harmoko, along with the State Minister of Research and
Technology B.J. Habibie, and Golkar deputy chief Mrs. Siti
Hardiyanti Rukmana, is among the civilian figures believed to
have a chance of holding the vice presidential stint.
On the same occasion, Minister/Cabinet Secretary Moerdiono
dismissed it as "undemocratic" debates on the military-civilian
dichotomy, as far as national leadership is concerned.
"The debates could influence the assembly's independence in
choosing the future president and vice president," Moerdiono
said.
Both Harmoko and Moerdiono insisted that the presidential
succession was not even touched on during this week's Sudomo-
Feisal bimonthly meeting.
Habibie, who chairs the powerful Association of Indonesian
Moslem Intellectuals, said he was convinced that Sudomo was not
tricked by any group into making the controversial remarks.
"The comment reflects "dynamism" in the way people deal with
current political issues," he said.
A senior legislator from the ABRI faction, Soeparman, said
Tuesday that Sudomo took the risk of offending some people when
he made the civilian-military dichotomy.
"Frankly, there are people who felt uneasy on hearing the
statement," he said, reported the Antara news agency.
Soeparman, who chairs House Commission II overseeing domestic
affairs, also stressed that the presidential election is the
prerogative right of the assembly.
He pointed out that, at present, debates on the succession
issue were premature and would only trigger an arduous,
unproductive polemic.
"If it's true that Pak Domo (Sudomo) made such a statement,
you should ask for the reason. But the principle is that we must
agree that electing a president and vice president is the
assembly's right," he said.
A more moderate comment came from ABRI Chief Gen. Feisal
Tanjung yesterday. He said it was irrelevant to discuss whether
the next president and vice president should be civilian or
military men.
"What counts is whether they are elected constitutionally," he
told journalists. He added that the succession issue was not on
the agenda of his meeting with Sudomo on Monday.
The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation said in a press statement
yesterday that it was unfair to criticize Sudomo for his view on
the presidential election.
"Rather, his statement should be seen as a fresh idea, put
forward in a time when discussion on the presidential institution
is almost taboo," it said.
Also on Tuesday, legislator Ali Mursalam, from the Golkar
faction, said that Indonesians should leave the presidential
election up to the assembly, that will convene in 1998.
He said it was difficult to say whether Sudomo's move to
announce President Soeharto's preference was ethical or not
ethical because Sudomo "is not a child".
"Everyone knows it is Pak Domo who issued the statement and
everyone knows who he is," he said. (pan)