Factions warn legislators against backing Emil Salim

JAKARTA (JP): Faction leaders in the People's Consultative Assembly cautioned their members yesterday against voting for senior economist Emil Salim in the vice presidential election next month.

Golkar deputy chairman Abdul Gafur said punitive measures would await anyone from the ruling political group who dissented from the party line and supported Emil.

However Gafur refused to go into details about the possible punishments.

"A Golkar plenary meeting has decided to name one vice presidential candidate, B.J. Habibie. The decision must be obeyed at all costs," Gafur said.

Golkar chairman Harmoko and the leader of Golkar's Assembly team, Ginandjar Kartasasmita, expressed their guarded confidence that all of the faction's 588 members would vote for Habibie.

Unlike Gafur, however, Harmoko did not threaten any penalties, saying that he would question rebels before meting out punishment.

"I have repeatedly said that we, Golkar, have renominated President Soeharto and chosen B.J. Habibie. There are no other names, and I believe all Golkar cadres will comply with the organization's line.

"Golkar cadres' allegiance is beyond all doubt, so don't start polemics pitting Habibie against Emil," Harmoko said.

The chief of the United Development Party (PPP) faction Jusuf Syakir and his Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) counterpart, Buttu Hutapea, were also confident their members would throw their full weight behind Habibie.

The leaders of the two minority factions said opposition to the decision to support Habibie would be considered a violation of the statutes of the respective political parties.

State Minister of Research and Technology Habibie's election as the next vice president is almost certain, thanks to the unanimous support from all five factions in the Assembly.

The factions -- the dominant Golkar and its allies the Armed Forces and regional representatives, and PPP and PDI -- have also all renominated incumbent President Soeharto for his seventh consecutive term.

A group of activists from various non-governmental organizations have been trying to swim against the current, however, by nominating Emil, a Golkar member and former cabinet minister who helped the New Order restore the country's economy.

The campaign, which many people consider doomed to fail given the absence of formal support from any faction, has grown in stature because it has received the support of several prominent people, including senior economist Sumitro Djojohadikusumo.

Gafur said yesterday that Golkar would welcome other people wishing to support Emil's nomination but reiterated that Golkar's choice of Habibie was final.

The election of the vice president will wrap up the General Session of the 1,000-member Assembly from Mar. 1 to Mar. 11.

Ginandjar, Jusuf and Buttu also played down yesterday the possibility that any of their team members would interrupt the Assembly's proceedings. In Indonesian politics, the interruption of an MPR session by members, either to ask questions or raise objections, is considered a faux pas, even a taboo.

The last interruption, which made headlines for days, was by Brig. Gen. Ibrahim Saleh of the Armed Forces faction just before the 1988 General Session of the People's Consultative Assembly was to elect the vice president. Ibrahim was later dismissed from the faction.

"Insya Allah (God willing) nobody will interrupt the convention. I have a feeling that Golkar is a solid team," Ginandjar said after presiding over a Golkar leadership meeting.

He said he would brief Golkar legislators about the party's stance in all matters dealing with the general session of the Assembly.

"You know, we are a big team. Everybody must be well informed about the rules and their respective duties," Ginandjar said.

The chairman of the Golkar's business wing Kosgoro, Bambang W. Soeharto, said yesterday that he had instructed all the organization's 80 members who hold seats in the Assembly not to plow their own furrow during the General Session.

"We are not crazy enough to go against the Golkar's decision on the vice presidential nomination," Bambang told a media conference at the Kosgoro secretariat in Menteng subdistrict, Central Jakarta.

He dismissed rumors that Kosgoro's Assembly legislators would interrupt the vice presidential election.

Instead, he announced Kosgoro's support for Habibie.

"I clarify that Kosgoro will always go along with Golkar's policies, including on Habibie's vice presidential nomination," he said.

He said Kosgoro had originally excluded Habibie from its list of four vice presidential candidates. The initial rooster comprised incumbent Try Sutrisno, Coordinating Minister for Production and Distribution Hartarto, Harmoko and Ginandjar. (imn/amd)