Habibie is 'Golkar's best of the worst'

JAKARTA (JP): The incumbent President B.J. Habibie is the best of the worst presidential candidates of the ruling Golkar party, a political lecturer said, while four others who were previously named as possible candidates pose a higher risk of fragmentation within the party.

His chance of another term, however, is small because on the national level he is not popular, Ichlasul Amal, rector of Gadjah Mada University said in Yogyakarta.

Yogyakarta's revered monarch and governor, Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, and one of four Golkar candidates for vice president, Ichlasul said, is only influential in Central and East Java.

The other previous presidential candidates which are now vice presidential candidates are Coordinating Minister for Economy, Finance and Industry Ginandjar Kartasasmita, Minister of Defense and Security/Indonesian Military Commander Gen. Wiranto and former minister/state secretary Akbar Tandjung.

Golkar named Habibie its sole presidential candidate in an executive meeting on Friday, despite internal criticism that the nomination would instead harm the party's chances in the June 7 election due to the incumbent President's past close ties with his ousted predecessor Soeharto.

The People's Consultative Assembly mandated Habibie to investigate Soeharto's alleged corrupt, collusive and nepotistic practices during his three decades in power. Habibie has faced criticism for foot dragging in the investigation.

The 700-member Assembly will elect a president and vice president in December.

Party officials said Golkar chapters from Sumatra wanted Akbar, who hails from the island, while one from eastern Indonesia said naming Habibie, who is from South Sulawesi, as sole candidate would be "the only chance to get a president who is not Javanese".

Ichlasul implied Habibie was not popular given his economic and political policies. Economically, the simple parameter of a successful government would be "if people could eat three times a day" while politically, "there are some who like and many who dislike his polices", he said without elaborating.

Presidential aides have said anyone in the presidential seat would have a hard time dealing with the crisis.

Ichlasul added naming Habibie as sole candidate may gain Golkar some positive international clout, citing his policy on East Timor.

In Semarang, Soetandyo Wignyosoebroto, a professor of law at Diponegoro University, lamented Golkar's nomination of Habibie, saying Habibie had been unable to resolve a myriad of cases, including political violence and the investigation into Soeharto's alleged corruption.

Soetandyo, who is also member of the National Commission on Human Rights, said Habibie's nomination would only make Golkar even more unpopular.

"By naming Habibie its sole presidential candidate, it will be very difficult for Golkar to jack up its share of the vote during the elections," Soetandyo said.

Death knell

Meanwhile critics said Habibie's nomination sounded the death knell of the current reform movement.

On Friday founder of the National Awakening Party (PKB), Abdurrahman Wahid, had said his party would coalesce with the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) in an effort to prevent "forces of the status quo" prevail in power.

Two retired generals, Ali Sadikin and Kemal Idris, said the reform movement would end if Habibie was elected president for the next five-year term.

"Who is Habibie? He is a symbol of the corrupt, repressive New Order," Ali said after attending an ex-servicemen's gathering here on Saturday.

Kemal, former commander of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad), said proreform political parties should coalesce to win the general election to foil Habibie's presidential bid.

"The reform movement must go on and democracy must be upheld in order to overcome the prolonged crisis and to end the people's suffering," he said.

Another retired general, Edi Sudradjat, who chairs the Justice and Unity Party (PKP) separately said that Golkar "should review" its decision, adding the nation's leader should be someone who could be trusted.

However, another political observer from Hasanuddin University in the South Sulawesi capital of Ujungpandang, Darwis, said on Saturday that Habibie was quite popular in the area.

He cited his recent survey that the South Sulawesi-born Habibie was widely known in the province and other areas in eastern Indonesia.

Another poll reveals that Habibie is deeply unpopular, his support languishing at about 7 percent compared to about 30 percent for opposition leaders Megawati Soekarnoputri of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle and Amien Rais of the National Mandate Party.

In Surakarta, Central Java, Golkar chairman Akbar pledged the party would fight to make a success of the Habibie administration's anticorruption drive, to enable extra points for his race for the presidency. (27/44/har/45/byg/rms)