Harmoko faces competition for top post at House

Harmoko faces competition for top post at House

JAKARTA (JP): Despite being widely tipped to be elected House
speaker for the 1997/2002 term, Golkar chairman Harmoko found
himself facing tough competition from the Armed Forces (ABRI)
faction which declared its own candidate yesterday.

The tiny Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) faction had also
promised to field its senior politician, Fatimah Achmad, as its
candidate for the House position.

"As a good citizen, I'm ready (to become House speaker),"
Harmoko said yesterday after the ceremony inducting members of
the House of Representatives and People's Consultative Assembly.
He was among those sworn in.

"We'll nominate our most senior man," said Maj. Gen. Hari
Sabarno, chairman of the ABRI faction at the House of
Representatives. He was referring to Lt. Gen. Syarwan Hamid,
former ABRI chief of sociopolitical affairs, who was also sworn
in and became the most senior officer among the 75 ABRI
legislators.

"We'll lobby various parties for it," PDI secretary-general
Buttu R. Hutapea said about the campaign to have Fatimah win the
election. The tiny PDI party only had 11 legislators in the House
and five in the Assembly.

The ruling Golkar, which had 325 and 488 members in the House
of Representatives (DPR) and the People's Consultative Assembly
(MPR) respectively, pledged yesterday to go all out in its
campaign for Harmoko.

Golkar executives Theo L. Sambuaga and Ary Mardjono said that
Golkar legislators would "give it our best".

Syarwan appeared to be the dark horse in the race, as
previously the widespread perception was that Harmoko was the
prime candidate for the post.

Harmoko recently met with President Soeharto and came out to
tell the press that "political logic" dictated that the winner of
the general election lead the House. Harmoko led Golkar to grab
74.3 percent of the vote in the May election.

The United Development Party (PPP), which has 89 House
legislators and 134 in the assembly, did not name any candidates
yesterday.

Its deputy chairwoman Aisyah Amini only expressed hope that
its chairman Ismail Hasan Metareum could become one of the deputy
House speakers. Ismail was deputy House speaker during 1992/1997
term.

Victory

Theo, who is chairman of the Golkar faction at the House, and
Ary Mardjono, the secretary of Golkar at the Assembly, also said
they would campaign for Abdul Gafur to become a deputy House
speaker.

"That's not a problem," Ary said when asked about the fact
that other factions had their own candidates.

Chairman of the Supreme Advisory Council Sudomo agreed that
Harmoko had the best chance to win. "I am sure and have the
feeling that Harmoko will be elected as the next House speaker,"
he said after the ceremony.

He did not rule out, however, the possibility of other people
winning the position. "It will rest on the House itself. All
candidates have the same opportunity to become House speaker," he
said.

In the past, the House speaker usually became the speaker of
the People's Consultative Assembly.

Aisyah Amini expressed uncertainty whether Ismail Hasan would
be able to win the race if he was nominated.

PPP secretary-general Tosari Widjaja was similarly modest.
"We'll welcome any decision made by House and Assembly factions
on (Ismail), whether he will become the House speaker or deputy
House speaker," he said.

Some legislators did not rule out the possibility of voting in
the House speaker election. Voting is an accepted, albeit frowned
upon, method of election, given the importance that the community
places on deliberation for consensus. (imn/swe)