Habibie-Wiranto a 'disastrous' ticket: Observers

Habibie-Wiranto a 'disastrous' ticket: Observers

JAKARTA (JP): Analysts censured on Wednesday President B.J.
Habibie's decision to name Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen.
Wiranto as his running mate as a "total lack of sensitivity" and
said it would only see the demise of his reelection.

Sociopolitical observer Wimar Witoelar said the decision was
"probably the worst of all possibilities".

"Their questionable standing among the public will just create
a very disastrous ticket which is doomed to fail," Wimar told The
Jakarta Post.

Habibie's credibility was eroded by the violence in East
Timor, the Bank Bali scandal and the termination of the
investigation into alleged corruption in former president
Soeharto's charities.

Wiranto on the other hand was heavily criticized for his
failure to resolve alleged abuses of human rights throughout the
country.

"Habibie and Wiranto are just too unpopular and it's too risky
to be presented as a serious option to the MPR (People's
Consultative Assembly), so it just shows a total lack of
political sensitivity on the part of Habibie," Wimar said.

"If they force the ticket through by some kind of means like
money politics, then that will invite a very strong public
reaction in the form of mass action and demonstration, so it is
clearly an irresponsible choice".

Wiranto was named Habibie's running mate after a two-day
leadership meeting of the Golkar Party which ended early on
Wednesday morning.

They agreed to allow Habibie to choose among the party's four
vice presidential candidates, which were Wiranto, former Cabinet
member Ginandjar Kartasasmita, Yogyakarta Governor Hamengkubuwono
X and party leader Akbar Tandjung.

"It is the latest in a series of purely political ploys by
Golkar, because for one thing Akbar and his board evaded the
responsibility of actually choosing the vice presidential nominee
and handed it over to Habibie," Wimar said.

He also said that it could be a "political trick" so Akbar got
a special mandate which would allow him to change the party's
policy on the presidential candidate at the last minute.

"It is politically masterful that Akbar managed to get the
congress to give him this optional mandate," Wimar said.

Akbar and some reformist elements within the party are known
to be critical of Habibie's candidacy due to his strong link to
Soeharto.

"By finally supporting Wiranto, it puts Habibie in a very very
weak position so if his report is rejected, then Akbar will have
a very convenient reason to search for a new candidate and he
will not bear the responsibility of having to revoke the
nomination of Habibie," Wimar said, referring to Habibie's
accountability speech, which is scheduled to be delivered before
the Assembly on Thursday evening.

Noted political observer Soedjati Djiwandono said "one quick
reason" why Habibie chose Wiranto was that he wanted to have the
support of the 38 members of the TNI at the House of
Representatives.

Soedjati said, however, that Wiranto should not be nominated
as vice presidential candidate because he was responsible for the
violence in the troubled territories of Aceh, Maluku and East
Timor.(02/05/byg)