Habibie says only God knows about his future promotion

JAKARTA (JP): State Minister of Research and Technology J.B. Habibie said only God knows whether he will become vice president.

Habibie gave this diplomatic reply yesterday to a question by a local ulema in Probolinggo, Central Java, on the possibility of his being nominated vice president in 1998.

"People can make plans but it is Allah who decides," remarked Habibie, who is seen by analysts as a strong candidate for the post.

Habibie himself has not declared his true aspirations.

This sensitive question was asked during the question and answer session of Rabithah Ma'ahid Islamiyah, a gathering of leaders of pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) of Nahdlatul Ulama.

NU is an influential Moslem organization with an estimated loyal following of over 30 million, traditionally rooted in the rural areas.

While NU has officially committed itself not to delve in practical politics, its strong following make it a force which can not be easily dismissed by politicians.

NU's clout was evident by the presence of President Soeharto who opened and addressed the meeting on Saturday.

As reported by Antara, Habibie, who is not a member of NU, yesterday addressed the forum as the head of the Indonesian Association of Moslem Intellectuals (ICMI), an organization set up only in 1990 which already wields great political clout.

Yesterday, Habibie refused to give a straight answer. He only said that it was more important to think of serving the country rather than thinking of "what we can become."

"I have been accompanying Pak Harto in the field of technology for 22 years and 10 months. That for me is honor enough and I am grateful. As for other matters, well, people can plan but Allah will decide," said German-educated Habibie.

While most political observers are more or less convinced that 75-year-old Soeharto is likely to be nominated and elected for a seventh consecutive presidential term, the vice presidency remains a big question mark.

Golkar has also neglected to specify criteria, as they did for the presidency, for persons whom they think qualified.

Apart from Habibie, Golkar chief and Minister of Information Harmoko is sometimes said to be vice presidential candidate.

Members of the People's Consultative Assembly will gather in 1998 to choose the next president and vice president.

During yesterday's session, Habibie continued to dodge the question, saying it's better "to look at where we are at now and see what we can do to improve things from that position."

During his presentation, Habibie also tried to appease concerns about possible competition between ICMI and the pesantren.

He argued that as a strong Islamic force in the country, ICMI will not compete with but rather complement Islamic institutions.

One of the executives of the pesantren association, Yusuf Muhammad, who acted as moderator in yesterday's discussion with Habibie, closed the talks with a prayer that the minister may be more useful to the nation in the future. (mds)