I'm not ready for VP position: Hardiyanti

I'm not ready for VP position: Hardiyanti

JAKARTA (JP): Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana threw in the towel in
the race for the vice presidency yesterday, saying she was not
capable of carrying out the second top position.

The eldest daughter of President Soeharto said on the
sidelines of the People's Consultative Assembly meeting that the
nation needs a person of high quality for its vice president.

"I feel I'm not ready for the position, (because) it requires
a broad mind and boldness. I don't fit that position at all,
particularly because I lack knowledge to cope with complicated
state matters," said Hardiyanti, who is more popularly known as
Mbak Tutut.

Hardiyanti has so far been the only female candidate for the
vice presidential seat, as far as nominations for the national
leadership posts brought to the attention of the Assembly's
working committee are concerned.

The committee's list of candidates includes incumbent Try
Sutrisno, House Speaker Harmoko, Minister of Information R.
Hartono, Minister of Research and Technology B.J. Habibie, Armed
Forces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung, Army Chief of Staff Gen.
Wiranto, government critic and chairman of Muhammadiyah Moslem
organization Amien Rais and chairman of the United Development
Party Ismail Hasan Metareum.

Chairman of the country's largest Moslem organization
Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Abdurrahman Wahid, was among the last to
support Hardiyanti's nomination during the NU's congress last
month.

The Assembly will convene in March next year to elect a
president and vice president. The election of a vice president
requires approval from the elected president.

Hardiyanti said that Assembly members must seek her acceptance
first if they nominate her.

"The nomination is not decided by the Assembly and the elected
president alone, but the candidate him- or herself," she said.

"I thank those who have supported me, but do not nominate me
only because I often visit people in villages or appear in
newspapers."

Hardiyanti, whose headscarf is her trademark, holds a lot of
top positions in business, political and social organizations.
She leads one of the country's largest holding companies PT Citra
Lamtorogung, chairs the Indonesian Red Cross and several charity
foundations and holds the deputy chairmanship post in the
dominant political group Golkar.

Since the death of her mother, First Lady Tien Soeharto,
Hardiyanti has accompanied Soeharto in state duties more often.

Hardiyanti said yesterday she never talked with her father
about her nomination for the vice presidency.

"We don't have time for such a talk. Besides, this is not the
appropriate time to discuss that. There's still three months to
go," she said. (amd)