Golkar may nominate Tutut for vice president: Ary

JAKARTA (JP): Golkar might nominate Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana for vice president next year, the grouping's secretary-general Ary Mardjono said yesterday.

Hardiyanti, better known as Mbak Tutut, is a deputy chief of Golkar, a successful businesswoman and the eldest daughter of President Soeharto.

Ary reiterated Golkar chairman Harmoko's recent statement that Golkar would look carefully for people with the potential to be vice president.

"As Harmoko has said, we'll consider her as we will other names. It could be Tutut or other candidates. We'll talk about it," Ary was quoted by Antara as saying after a meeting of Golkar members in Surabaya, East Java.

Ary was commenting on a recent statement by J. Kristiadi, a political scientist at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), that Hardiyanti was a hot prospect to become the next vice president because of "the proximity of her thoughts with those of President Soeharto".

"It's up to CSIS to name her for the vice presidency, but Golkar will be consistent, in that it will only nominate those who meet its criteria, including the requirement that a candidate should be able to cooperate with the elected president," Ary said.

Nomination

When asked whether Golkar would approve Hardiyanti's nomination, Ary said: "Let's talk about it later. We'll discuss it again, because Golkar only nominates those its meeting has decided. There'll be time for it."

He said there could be more than one vice presidential nominee. But it would be up to the elected president to choose the vice president.

"No matter who will be nominated, including Mbak Tutut, it will be up to the President to decide," he said.

When asked whether Hardiyanti would be willing to be a Golkar candidate, Ary said: "I haven't met with her. Ask her tomorrow whether she's willing to be nominated."

Hardiyanti is scheduled to appear today in Surabaya for a gathering of members of the Nahdlatul Ulama Moslem organization.

Discussion on vice presidential candidates has been growing. While it's a foregone conclusion that President Soeharto will be reelected to another term next year, speculation on who he will favor as his second is growing.

Among those mentioned as a possible next vice president were the incumbent Try Sutrisno, State Minister of Research and Technology B.J. Habibie, State Minister of National Development Planning Ginandjar Kartasasmita, Minister of Information Harmoko and Army Chief of Staff R. Hartono.

Hardiyanti's name came up last year as another possible candidate. (swe)