Habibie not elected

I wonder where Mr. Muhd. Ramzy Hasibuan was on May 20 and May 21 (President Habibie's legitimacy, Your Letters, June 4) when news started swirling about that Soeharto was going to step down, culminating in Habibie's rise to the presidency. Habibie was not elected, Mr. Hasibuan, he was appointed.

And even that could well be legally and/or constitutionally questionable, because Soeharto appointed Habibie, after, I repeat, after declaring that: "from the moment I read this statement, I cease to be president."

GUS KAIRUPAN

Jakarta