Ismail challenges Harmoko as House speaker candidate

JAKARTA (JP): The United Development Party (PPP) has nominated its chief, Ismail Hasan Metareum, as the new House of Representatives speaker to challenge Golkar chairman Harmoko.

Ismail said Saturday that PPP's board of executives had nominated him for the prestigious post and he simply could not say no.

"The party executive board made its decision and I couldn't do anything but obey it," he told reporters.

Debates on the future House speaker greatly subsided last week after top government and military officials said Harmoko deserved the post because Golkar emerged as the winner of the recent general election.

Moslem-based PPP came in second by snatching 89 of 425 House seats contested in the May election. The Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) won only 11 seats.

The new House members and speaker will take an oath on Oct. 1. The speaker will have four deputies from the three political factions and the Armed Forces.

Ismail is also known to have his eye on the vice-presidential post. Lately, Harmoko was also mentioned to have a chance at it.

The new president and vice president will be elected by the People's Consultative Assembly next March. President Soeharto is widely tipped to retain his position unchallenged.

Ismail was the third figure whose name was mentioned as a candidate for House speaker. The other was Lt. Gen. Syarwan Hamid, the Armed Forces' Sociopolitical Affairs chief.

With the government and military's blessing, Harmoko is apparently the strongest candidate.

If elected, he will become the third civilian to lead the House after Idham Chalid and Adam Malik. Idham was elected House speaker for the 1971/1977 term, while Adam only served as House speaker for five months before he was elected vice president in March 1978.

Last month, President Soeharto appointed Harmoko, who had been minister of information for 14 years, as the state minister of special assignments whose assignment was to run a DPR crash course for his fellow new House members.

Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono said Harmoko was the favorite for House speaker, saying he was the chairman of the faction which won the election.

"Logically, his supporters, who will rule the House, will nominate him for the position," he said.

While support for Syarwan, who topped the list of the 75 high- ranking officers who will occupy House seats reserved for the Armed Forces, discontinued after Armed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung said the House speaker should come from the political organization that won the recent election.

Members of the Armed Forces do not vote in general elections, but they are allocated 75 seats in the House. (imn)