I have never sought re-election: Soeharto

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto, who is currently serving his sixth term as president, said he has never sought re-election and that it is the prerogative of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) to select the national leader.

In response to questions from a group of visiting Australian senior editors yesterday morning on whether he is willing to be re-elected for a seventh term, Soeharto replied by saying that it would be up to MPR to decide.

"He has never sought to be re-elected," Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono quoted the President as saying yesterday.

Moerdiono told reporters that the President had never solicited the aid of any group or faction to lobby for his re- election.

"Neither has he encouraged ABRI (the armed forces) to take on a bigger role so he could get elected," he remarked.

Soeharto yesterday met with 14 senior editors from various Australian media who are here to attend an annual meeting with their Indonesian counterparts. The Australian editors were led by Richard Woolcott who chairs the Australia-Indonesia Institute.

"The selection of the president is completely in the hands of the MPR," Moerdiono quoted the president as saying. "It is not in the hands of the incumbent president or anybody else for that matter."

The question from the Australian editors came in light of next year's general election. Following the general election, members of the MPR will choose the next president in 1998.

Soeharto has been at the helm of the country since 1967 and has yet to encounter any serious challengers for the presidency.

In his explanation of the national election mechanism, Soeharto, who will celebrate his 75th birthday next month, said it was the president's duty to create a climate conducive to allowing potential leaders to rise so the MPR can have more than one candidate to choose from.

Moerdiono said the president had pointed, as an example, to those who have had legislative and government experience along with people who have been involved in social-political organizations.

As recounted by Moerdiono, when asked by journalists: "The president said 'I don't force you to believe what I say. Please check for yourselves.'"

Another question that came up during yesterday's meeting was whether Soeharto would finally take up the invitation to visit Australia.

Moerdiono said the president placed a great deal of emphasis on building good relations between the two countries, but there were mitigating factors which made such a visit impossible at the present time.

"Because of the Australian democratic system, there is a possibility of certain groups, albeit small, who are unfriendly towards Indonesia and would not welcome the president's visit," Moerdiono said.

Moerdiono explained that if that happened the Indonesian people might not accept such treatment toward their president and the visit would only serve to impair rather than improve ties.

"Because of that, in the near future the president does not see any urgency for him to visit Australia," Moerdiono remarked.

Vice President Try Sutrisno, who visited in September 1994, is the highest ranking Indonesian official to visit Australia in the last two decades. (mds)