Habibie and Soeharto fit to run in elections: Golkar

JAKARTA (JP): Soeharto and B.J. Habibie are fit to stand in the presidential and vice presidential elections scheduled for next week, a senior Golkar executive reported yesterday.

They are physically healthy and have all the necessary documents needed for their nomination, Golkar secretary-general Ary Mardjono said.

Soeharto and Habibie's victories are foregone conclusions because all the five political factions in the People's Consultative Assembly have unanimously nominated them.

"We will submit Pak Habibie's documents for the vice presidential nomination on Monday," Ary told reporters after attending a session at the People's Consultative Assembly.

He said that the documents confirmed Habibie, the outgoing state minister of research and technology, had proof of good conduct, had no link with the outlawed Indonesian Communist Party and was an Indonesian citizen.

"Doctors have also issued a clean bill of health for him," he said, adding that all Golkar's 586 legislators in the People's Consultative Assembly were still going to honor their pledge to support the country's technology czar.

As for Soeharto's renomination, Ary said the President had completed all the documents needed for his candidacy.

"The President is also in good health and fit for the race," he said.

He said that the documents for Soeharto's presidential nomination would be submitted on the same day as Habibie's.

As in the past, this year's presidential and vice presidential elections will be one-horse races unless any of the five factions in the Assembly -- Golkar, the United Development Party, the Indonesian Democratic Party, the Armed Forces and the regional representatives -- undertake a radical U-turn in the next three days.

The presidential election will be held next Tuesday, while the vice presidential election is at the end of the 11-day Assembly's General Session on Wednesday.

The secretary to the coordinator of Golkar's board of patrons, Akbar Tandjung, said yesterday that he saw no problem with either Soeharto's or Habibie's nomination.

Asked why Habibie, who is the incumbent coordinator of Golkar's board of patrons, had been absent from most of the Assembly sessions, Akbar said that he might have been too busy to attend.

"Habibie might have a lot of things to do," he said. "You (journalists) can still meet him here in the afternoons."

He said that Habibie came to the Assembly at five in the afternoon to check the Golkar faction's preparation for the following day's activities.

"He comes here every day to check the development of every Assembly session," he said, adding that Habibie would then report the results to Soeharto, Golkar's chief patron. (imn)