House Speaker post open for debate: Syarwan

JAKARTA (JP): A leading figure set to represent the Armed Forces in the House of Representatives (DPR) said that no one person was assured of occupying the House speaker position.

Outgoing Armed Forces chief of sociopolitical affairs Lt. Gen. Syarwan Hamid maintained that House members still had a month to discuss or join the race for House speaker.

"House members will only know who the leading candidates are after Oct. 1," Syarwan told reporters after a military handover ceremony here which saw him replaced by Lt. Gen. Yusuf Yosfiah.

Traditionally the speaker's post has been occupied by the leader of the political party or faction which holds the most seats in the House.

Five hundred members of the House will be sworn in on Oct. 1 to serve a five-year term.

Of these, 425 were chosen through the May 29 general election. The remaining 75 seats were allocated to the Armed Forces who do not participate in elections.

Syarwan said House members could still lobby each other in a bid to gain as many votes for each of their candidates as possible.

"It's not true when people say that the House speaker post is prearranged," he said.

Since the New Order, the speaker's seat has always gone to the head of the dominant Golkar faction.

Syarwan, who will join the unprecedented crash course for new legislators next Tuesday, has been rumored to have a chance at becoming House speaker for the 1997/2002 term.

But Armed Forces Chief. Gen. Feisal Tanjung seemed to dismiss the suggestions when he said yesterday that Syarwan would be assigned to a deputy House speaker post.

"Syarwan Hamid will hold a deputy House speaker post, while the new ABRI chief of sociopolitical affairs (Yunus) will lead the Armed Forces faction in MPR," said Feisal separately after the ceremony.

The leading man for the House speaker post is Golkar chairman Harmoko.

A veteran minister who served 14 consecutive years as minister of information, Harmoko was hastily replaced by R. Hartono in June. Harmoko was then given a newly created post as state minister for special assignments.

Earlier last month, Feisal guaranteed that the victorious election contestant would be given the House speaker position.

Harmoko lead Golkar to a sweeping victory during the May general election capturing 74 percent of the popular vote.

Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono also said that Harmoko deserved the House's top job.

Moerdiono argued that it would be logical if all 325 Golkar legislators in the House supported Harmoko's nomination for the speaker position.

When asked about the Armed Forces' presidential candidate, both Feisal and Syarwan balked saying only that it would be divulged before the general meeting of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) next year.

The 1,000-strong assembly will convene in March to elect the country's new president and vice president and to draw up the Broad Guidelines of State Policies.

Prior to yesterday's transfer-of-duty ceremony, Yunus was promoted from a two-star to a three-star general earlier in the morning.

Also promoted to three-star generals were Commandant General of the National Military Academy Lt. Gen. Muzani Syukur; Armed Forces Headquarters official Lt. Gen. M. Yusuf Kartanegara, and Commander of the Armed Forces' Staff and Command School Lt. Gen. Arie J. Kumaat.

Two other high-ranking officials were promoted to two-star generals and two others to one-star generals. (imn)