Hartono's rise 'proves political unpredictability'
Hartono's rise 'proves political unpredictability'
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto's surprise appointment of
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Hartono as minister of information
confirmed the unpredictable nuance of domestic politics, an
analyst said yesterday.
Johanes Kristiadi of the Center for Strategic and
International Studies admitted that he had never expected the
appointment.
"It came as a surprise only because cabinet ministers under
the New Order have almost always completed their terms of
office," Kristiadi said.
"But in Indonesia, anything can happen and it is beyond
everybody's expectation," he added.
The incumbent Minister of Information Harmoko will become the
state minister for special assignments.
The cabinet changes are the third in the last two years.
Soeharto dismissed State Minister of Food Ibrahim Hasan as the
head of the Logistics Board in February 1995; a position he was
holding concurrently with Satrio Budiharjo Judono. Satrio was
dismissed as minister of trade in December 1995.
Kristiadi speculated that Hartono's and Harmoko's new jobs
would only be temporary pending the general session of the
People's Consultative Assembly next March to deliberate the
guidelines of state policy and elect a president and vice
president for 1998 until 2003.
He said that Hartono, whose extended military service will end
next Tuesday, was awarded the new job in recognition of his
merits.
"He has a great chance to stay in the new cabinet, perhaps as
the minister of defense," Kristiadi said, adding that the
Ministry of Information was an appropriate place for Hartono
because of Harmoko's double responsibilities as minister and
chairman of the dominant party, Golkar.
Harmoko looked set to be elected speaker of the House of
Representatives, Kristiadi said.
"The new position will help Harmoko prepare material for the
guidelines of state policy to be presented before the general
assembly next March," he said.
Minister of Research and Technology B.J. Habibie was of a
similar opinion. He said promoting a Golkar chairman to the
House's top post had been done before.
"Logically, the chairman of the biggest political party and
election winner has a great chance of leading the House," Habibie
said after opening a national meeting of the Association of
Indonesian Moslem Intellectuals (ICMI) in Surabaya, East Java.
Habibie was referring to the incumbent House Speaker Wahono
who led Golkar to its fourth straight landslide victory in the
1992 election.
Habibie said it was well known that Hartono and Harmoko were
Soeharto's best aides.
"Wisdom was behind the President's decision to make changes in
the cabinet," said Habibie.
The chairman of the Muhammadiyah Moslem organization, Amien
Rais, who attended the ICMI meeting, echoed Habibie's assessment
of the cabinet changes.
"I think they were a simple matter, although we have to wait
and see for the next one or two days," Amien said.
He dismissed speculation that the cabinet changes had
something to do with the vice presidential election.
"This is not a chess game in which everybody knows where the
match is leading," he said.
"President Soeharto is a wise man who has never allowed room
for changing policy in political development in the past 30
years," Amien said. (nur/amd)