Habibie only needs Armed Forces' nod

JAKARTA (JP): B.J. Habibie only needs the Armed Forces' nod to make his vice presidential nomination a forgone conclusion after the country's 27 governors lined up behind him yesterday.

The regional leaders' endorsement means that Habibie, the state minister of research and technology, has secured the backing of four of the five factions in the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).

The governors form the regional representatives faction in the Assembly, the highest law-making body that elects the president and the vice president.

The Moslem-oriented United Development Party (PPP), the dominant Golkar and the minority Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) have all fielded the technology tsar as their sole candidate.

"Our decision on Habibie's nomination is final," Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S.M. said in a press conference after chairing the governors' meeting.

Yogie, who supervises the MPR's regional representatives faction and Golkar's bureaucrats, said Habibie's vice presidential nomination was decided by the three elements that form the backbone of Golkar: the Armed Forces, the bureaucracy and mass organizations affiliated to the political grouping.

"Originally, the bureaucrats had two names for the vice presidency -- Harmoko and Habibie," he said, "but then Harmoko withdrew his (decision to accept the) nomination."

He said that the result of the meeting had also been reported to the chairman of Golkar's board of patrons, President Soeharto.

"The President asked the regional representative faction to formally nominate Habibie in the MPR," he said.

Habibie said yesterday that all the MPR factions' support for him was "really an honor".

"It'll be an honor for me to assist the elected president," he told reporters after accompanying President Soeharto at a state function at the State Palace yesterday.

Asked whether he would be ready for the nomination, Habibie said: "Yes and I believe that's everybody's answer, too."

Habibie's nomination was strongly opposed yesterday by former Golkar legislator Iskandar Mandji. He argued that constitutionally, a president and vice president should be made public by the MPR.

"The vice presidential candidates should only be announced in the MPR's general session," he said, "Besides, each faction should consult the president-elect before announcing its candidate."

Political observer Amien Rais said yesterday he was not interested in talking about the Soeharto-Habibie leadership ticket.

"The real issue is whether the future president and vice president are able to handle the deepening economic crisis and restructure the Indonesian economy," he told reporters in Surakarta, Central Java.

"If they are not, the already-battered economy would only worsen further," said Amien, who has nominated himself president.

Amien said he was pessimistic that he could win a ticket to run for the presidency next month because he doubted that any MPR faction would have the courage to nominate anyone other than the incumbent Soeharto.

"The five MPR factions will surely renominate President Soeharto," he said.

Speaking about senior economist Emil Salim's bid for the vice presidency, Yogie said the former minister was free to go on with his campaign.

"But our candidate is only one, Habibie," he said.

On Monday, noted figures Herawati Diah, Nelly Adam Malik and Saparinah Sadli -- on behalf of 128 scholars and public figures seeking Emil's nomination -- presented their petition to the MPR regional representatives faction.

Emil says his main purpose is not to win the race but, rather, to set an example of how the principles of democracy should be exercised.

"Do you (journalists) think that Emil Salim still has the opportunity while the three political organizations and the regional representatives faction have declared their support for Habibie?" Deputy House Speaker Syarwan Hamid said as quoted by Antara yesterday.

Deputy MPR speaker Poedjono Pranjoto insisted that Emil's window of opportunity was not completely closed, saying that each MPR faction had the right to have more than one candidate. (imn/prb/har)