Govt officials, observers differ on presidency

JAKARTA (JP): Government officials opposed yesterday the recent suggestion that civilians were not as qualified as those with a military background to lead the country and would not be ready for at least another five years.

State Minister of Research and Technology B.J. Habibie insisted that civilians were more deserving of the top post on grounds that they made up the majority of Indonesia's population.

"It's deplorable if we allow only a small group to obtain national leadership without giving a chance to the larger group," Habibie said after a hearing with House of Representatives Commission X, which deals with science and technology.

Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and Security Soesilo Soedarman and Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S.M. separately agreed that the race for the presidency remained open to civilians. However, military analysts Salim Said and Yahya Muhaimin said the time for nonmilitary figures has yet to come.

Equipped with statistical data, Habibie said the number of active and retired Armed Forces (ABRI) members only amounted to 600,000 people, while there were about 100 million civilians who met basic qualifications of becoming state leaders.

"Mathematically, the larger group has more qualified candidates for the top post," he said.

Habibie is considered to be a strong candidate for the vice presidency along with State Minister of National Development Planning Ginandjar Kartasasmita and Minister of Information R. Hartono.

He said giving the military an exclusive right to lead the country would devastate the national goal of bringing welfare to all.

"I don't think the Armed Forces has any intention of claiming the exclusive right," Habibie said.

Soesilo said both civilians and servicemen had an equal opportunity to become a president.

"For me, it's okay if a candidate is a civilian or member of the Armed Forces. The most important thing is that he or she meets the criteria and is ready for presidential tasks," Soesilo said after addressing the 1997 International Maritime Conference here yesterday.

Yogie also expressed his belief that both civilians and members of the Armed Forces were equally capable for the job. "It will depend on the People's Consultative Assembly on who will become the next president," he said.

The officials and observers were responding to an earlier suggestion by political analyst Juwono Sudarsono that at present only candidates with a military background, not civilians, had the capacity to become president, at least until 2005. Juwono is deputy governor of the military think tank, the National Resilience Institute.

Soesilo said he never doubted the capability of the country's current generation.

Yogie said: "This country has 200 million (potential candidates) for the presidency," referring to Indonesia's current population.

Observers

Salim Said and Yahya Muhaimin, however, separately supported Juwono's statement.

"Civilians would only be able to reach the country's top position if they had the support of the Armed Forces," Salim said after meeting with Minister of Information R. Hartono at the latter's office yesterday. Salim visited the minister in his capacity as chairman of the Jakarta Arts Council.

Salim said civilian organizations were not solid enough to support a civilian candidate for the state leadership race.

"It'll take some time before a civilian will rise to the country's top position," he said.

Political observer Yahya Muhaimin of Yogyakarta said ABRI's supremacy in the country's political arena lay more on historical rather than conceptual grounds.

"The New Order government, backed by the Armed Forces, saw that stability was key to sustainable development. And the Armed Forces has been playing an important role in maintaining stability," said Yahya, who is dean of Gadjah Mada University's School of Social and Political Sciences.

Salim, however, dismissed the suggestion that the strong presence of ABRI in the country's political arena hampered civilians and their organizations from developing.

"It's not true. Preventing civilians from accessing politics could lead to a social explosion," he said.

Salim cited social conditions that need to be met before civilians could lead the country, including a strong middle class, and that civilians should have good relations in business circles.

Yahya suggested that the next cabinet combine both civilian and military leaders in order to establish a strong government. (amd/05/23/imn)