Dominant Golkar to shortlist nominees for vice president

JAKARTA (JP): Dominant political group Golkar will study in its leadership meeting next month a list of names that have often been mentioned as vice presidential material, secretary-general Ary Marjono said yesterday.

Ary said Golkar executives would start shortlisting the potential candidates relayed by the public to the dominant party in the meeting, scheduled from Dec. 1 to Dec. 4. Golkar will only announce one nominee in March next year, according to Ary.

"We have received a lot of suggested names, but I cannot remember who they are. We will only open the file in the meeting," he said during a break in a People's Consultative Assembly session.

He was commenting on the recent open support from several organizations and individuals for the nomination of incumbent Vice President Try Sutrisno, Minister of Information R. Hartono, State Minister of Research and Technology B.J. Habibie and House Speaker Harmoko for the vice presidential post.

Ary declined to unveil whether those leading figures were among Golkar's list of vice presidential candidates.

A mass organization linked with Golkar, Soksi, and Moslem leader Abdurrahman Wahid recently announced their list of candidates for the vice presidential position that placed Try on top. A group of people from Lampung suggested Thursday that the Assembly pick among Try, Hartono and Habibie for the vice presidential position for the 1998/2003 period.

"People are free to openly name their candidates, but Golkar will stick to the procedures (to announce the vice presidential candidate in March)," Ary said.

He said mass organizations affiliated to Golkar did not necessarily have to ask for Golkar leaders' consent if they wished to lend support to certain candidates.

Golkar has officially named incumbent President Soeharto as its candidate for the 1998/2003 presidency, despite Soeharto's call on the political group to reconsider its decision.

Deputy House Speaker Syarwan Hamid of the Armed Forces faction said the faction had started selecting its vice presidential nominees but would not announce any names before consulting the elected president.

"We will elect a national leader, so I think we have to comply with the rules of the game. We cannot choose a vice president who cannot cooperate with the president," he said.

An Assembly decree states that a vice president must be able to work with the president.

Chief of the United Development Party (PPP) faction in the Assembly, Jusuf Syakir, said his party leaders would meet on Dec. 15 to discuss their candidates for the presidential and vice presidential positions.

He refused, however, to mention any names, saying that the party would announce them at the right time, namely the Assembly's general session next March.

The Moslem-based party has yet to either announce whether it will follow Golkar in supporting Soeharto's renomination or suggest other names for the post.

The 1,000-strong Assembly will elect the two national leaders in March. (amd)