Golkar vows to promote Habibie-Wiranto duet

JAKARTA (JP): Next month's Golkar executive meeting is expected to endorse the nomination of incumbent President B.J. Habibie and Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Gen. Wiranto as its presidential and vice presidential candidates, the party's chairman Akbar Tandjung said on Tuesday.

While emphasizing that he was only expressing his personal view, Akbar praised the combination of Habibie, a civilian and non-Javanese, and Wiranto, an Army general and a Javanese.

"The teamwork of Habibie and Wiranto is quite good," Akbar said after attending the House of Representatives' plenary session, where Habibie addressed the House on East Timor.

During a Golkar executive meeting in May, the party decided to name Habibie the party's sole presidential candidate and nominate Akbar, Wiranto, who is also minister of defense and security, Yogyakarta Governor Hamengkubuwono X and Coordinating Minister for Economy, Finance and Industry Ginandjar Kartasasmita as vice presidential candidates.

"To be sure, Wiranto is Golkar's candidate for vice president," said Akbar, who served Habibie as minister/state secretary until May.

While insisting Golkar would support Habibie, Marzuki Darusman, one of Akbar's closest deputies, said it would be difficult for Habibie to be nominated president due to his poor achievements during his one-year tenure.

Habibie summoned Akbar to his private residence on Friday evening and reportedly demanded assurances of his nomination from Akbar and warned of the consequences if Golkar was not consistent with its support for him.

Sources close to Habibie confirmed the meeting, but alleged Akbar's supporters had leaked the conversation to the media in a bid to tarnish Habibie's image.

One day after the meeting, Akbar indicated a possible change in Golkar's stance on Habibie. He said Golkar could review its position during the leadership meeting, which precedes the party's Oct. 20 anniversary celebration.

"The party leadership meeting is the only forum authorized to make such a crucial decision. However, I will tell them the tandem of Habibie and Wiranto is quite adequate," said Akbar on Tuesday.

Akbar, who served 10 years as a Cabinet minister under former president Soeharto, has held intensive meetings with the leaders of major political parties, including Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) chairwoman and Habibie's stiffest rival Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Separately, Marzuki said on Tuesday that Akbar's statement on Wiranto's suitability to be named a presidential candidate was merely Akbar's personal view, and it was based on Habibie's own insistence.

Golkar, said Marzuki, will officially ask Habibie to choose one of the four candidates as his partner in the next presidential contest.

Marzuki, also chairman of National Commission on Human Rights, however, warned that Golkar should anticipate possible negative responses from both the domestic and the international public on the duet of Habibie and Wiranto.

"This is only a dissemination process, not more than that," he said on the promotion of Habibie and Wiranto.

The presidential election will cap the General Session of the People's Consultative Assembly in November. (05/rms/prb)