More calls for transparent nomination

More calls for transparent nomination

JAKARTA (JP): Calls for more transparent presidential and vice
presidential nominations are increasing, with the latest calls
coming from two political leaders.

Alamsjah Ratu Perwiranegara, a former aide to President
Soeharto and the Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and
Security, Soesilo Soedarman, said Thursday that transparent
nominations facilitated openness and public political education.
The two were speaking separately.

Alamsjah said the new People's Consultative Assembly (MPR),
which will be sworn in on Oct. 1 and convene next March to elect
the next president and vice president, should seek ideas from the
public.

Soesilo said he supported the idea of people naming the
nominees. "That way, people will become accustomed to expressing
opinions and naming candidates," he said.

The minister said there should not be any problems for
political contestants to name presidential and vice-presidential
candidates well before the MPR holds its general assembly.

"The electoral laws do not prohibit contestants from naming
presidential and vice-presidential candidates during the election
campaign," he said.

Alamsjah said he was confident President Soeharto would be
reelected and that Vice President Try Sutrisno had the
opportunity to be reelected.

"President Soeharto has a complete personal record on Try
Sutrisno since 1979. He knows Try very well. This (the reelection
of a vice president) wouldn't be the first time it happened," he
said.

Excluding Try, four vice presidents have served under
Soeharto. They are the late Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX, Adam
Malik, Umar Wirahadikusumah and Sudharmono.

He cited early 1978 when President Soeharto asked then vice
president Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono to serve a second term. Sri
Sultan, then also the Sultan of Yogyakarta, declined.

Alamsjah said the vice presidential candidates should be
capable, acceptable and able to cooperate with the elected
president.

He said Soeharto would only choose a candidate he could rely
on. "He learned a lesson from the former president of Pakistan,
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who was executed in 1978 upon the order of
Zia Ul-Haq, his successor," he said.

Ali Bhutto was Pakistan's president from 1971 to 1977.

As for the vice presidential nomination, Soesilo said each of
the five factions at the People's Consultative Assembly had the
rights to name their own candidates.

"They will then meet the elected president to discuss the
candidates. The president will choose the candidate he believes
will be best able to cooperate with him," he said.

The Moslem-based United Development Party (PPP), the dominant
Golkar and the Christian-nationalist alliance Indonesian
Democratic Party (PDI) are contesting the May 29 general
elections. At stake are 425 seats in the House of
Representatives. Another 75 seats are allocated for the armed
forces whose members do not vote.

The 500 House members are part of the 1,000-member People's
Consultative Assembly. It has five factions: PPP, Golkar, PDI,
the armed forces and representatives of social groups. (imn)