Habibie or Harmoko

Golkar has finally played its cards in the vice presidential election game. The ruling political group has named its own chairman Harmoko and State Minister of Research and Technology B.J. Habibie as its chosen candidates for vice president in next month's election. After months of indecision which kept the nation in suspense, if not in the dark, Golkar has narrowed the field down to these two men. Both are now frontrunners for the number two post assisting Soeharto, who is almost certain to be reelected as president for a seventh term next month.

As the largest political faction in the People's Consultative Assembly, Golkar's vice presidential nomination carries a lot of weight. Given that Soeharto is chairman of Golkar's powerful board of patrons, one can be sure that Golkar would not have announced its two candidates on Wednesday night without his prior approval. Regardless of Golkar's motive in being the first political faction to announce its nominees, it was a commendable act, for it allows the public to scrutinize the candidates.

Constitutionally, it is the right of factions in the People's Consultative Assembly, as representatives of the people, to nominate and elect the president and vice president. But in the spirit of democracy, the people should be allowed to have their say on future leaders. Reactions in the coming weeks will reveal which of the two men has the most support, and how much, if any, public approval.

With all due respect to the 1,000 Assembly members, the election of the vice president is too important to be left entirely in their hands, regardless of the constitutional position. The next vice president will be expected to play a part well beyond the largely ceremonial role of the previous five vice presidents. The aging Soeharto (he will turn 77 in June) is expected to cut his state activities down to the most essential, as he has done over the past few weeks, delegating more work to his vice president.

There is even speculation that the next vice president may succeed Soeharto, if he steps down at the end of the next five- year term, or halfway through it. Even if talk of this is wrong, or a premature conclusion, the elected vice president will certainly become a potential successor to Soeharto.

Although Golkar has played its cards, the outcome of the vice presidential election is by no means definite. There could still be surprises, and neither of its candidates will necessarily be elected to the post.

There is the question of Soeharto's choice of vice president. He has resisted pressures to state his preference for a running mate, believing it would be constitutionally wrong to do so before being formally nominated by the Assembly, let alone elected. But an assembly decree requiring the vice president to be able to work closely with the elected president, virtually hands over the final say on who occupies the post to the elected president. In the end, the convention of the past 30 years will be followed, the Assembly proposes, and Soeharto disposes.

The other four Assembly factions, including the powerful Armed Forces (ABRI) have yet to name their candidates. Although ABRI and Golkar have worked together in securing Soeharto's reelection for the last 30 years, there has at times been discords between the two powerful groupings over the choice of vice president. In 1993 ABRI announced its nomination of Gen. Try Sutrisno for vice president, preempting both Golkar and, fait accompli, Soeharto. Outgoing ABRI Commander Gen. Feisal Tanjung said yesterday his faction already has a candidate in mind but will not announce his or her name. He indicated that the military had no problem with non-military candidates. Both Harmoko and Habibie are civilians.

The onus is now on ABRI, given its influential position in the Assembly, to publicly announce its candidate and subject he or she to public scrutiny. Golkar and ABRI are the real players in this game. This is not a poker game because the outcome is more or less predetermined, but the stakes -- the future and prosperity of the nation -- are so high that both had better play their cards right.