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)