Ismail challenges Harmoko as House speaker candidate

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)