Nation want Soeharto: Harmoko
Nation want Soeharto: Harmoko
JAKARTA (JP): Golkar announced yesterday that it was fully
convinced that the nation still wanted incumbent President
Soeharto to lead the nation for another five years.
Chairman Harmoko told reporters that the political group had
conducted a survey to test the aspirations of the people before
coming to the conclusion.
"It was obvious that nobody has said `no' to our sole
presidential candidate. We must acknowledge the masses' will,"
Harmoko, fresh from completing his traditional "Ramadhan Safari"
tour of the regions, told reporters at Golkar headquarters.
"I believe a great fighter like President Soeharto will not
walk away from national duties," he said, reaffirming Golkar's
decision to nominate Soeharto in the election next month.
Harmoko said Golkar conducted the inquiry in response to
Soeharto's request last October that Golkar reconsider its
decision before formally nominating him.
He said he would inform Soeharto of Golkar's decision soon.
Soeharto, 76, chairs Golkar's powerful board of patrons.
The President has not announced whether or not he intends to
run for a seventh term. His only public statement on the subject
was when he asked that Golkar reconsider its decision before
formally announcing its nomination.
Golkar's announcement comes in the wake of calls from certain
quarters for a new president, in view of the increasing
challenges facing the nation and of concerns about the health and
age of the incumbent leader.
Soeharto's eldest daughter, Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, who is
also a senior executive of Golkar, said last month that she
wished to see her father retire after a long service to the
nation at the expense of his family.
Hardiyanti added, however, that she believed her father would
never shirk his responsibility to the country and that he would
remain president if the nation wanted him to.
Harmoko said yesterday that he appreciated the motions, but
reiterated that Golkar's decision was definite.
Golkar's faction in the People's Consultative Assembly, which
holds 588 of the 1,000 seats, was prepared to fight for
Soeharto's reelection next March, he said.
"This was not an instant decision. It was the result of a
process that began in 1996 when we set the criteria for the
presidential candidates," Harmoko said.
"That's why we have not put pressure on President Soeharto or
turned him into a cult figure."
Golkar, which won the general election in May with an
overwhelming 74.5 percent of the votes, is the only faction so
far to have officially announced its presidential candidate.
The other four factions, including the powerful Armed Forces,
have until March 8 to declare their candidates.
Earlier yesterday, Golkar's labor wing SOKSI confirmed its
full support for Soeharto's reelection, and demanded that the
Assembly confer him with the title of Bapak Pembaruan (Father of
Reformation), for his key role in bringing the country to
progress.
"There is no denying that various developments we are now
enjoying are the fruits of the people's hard work under a leader
who has a vision beyond the future, namely Soeharto," SOKSI
chairman Suhardiman said.
Suhardiman met Assembly deputy speaker Poedjono Pranjoto to
declare the group's position.
In 1983, the Assembly conferred the title of Bapak Pembangunan
(Father of Development) to Soeharto in recognition for bringing
the nation out of abject poverty.
Suhardiman said SOKSI firmly believed that Soeharto was the
right person to pull Indonesia out of its economic crisis.
"Only death, and his own desire to step down, will change our
determination to support him," he said.
He predicted that if Soeharto extended his tenure in March, he
could exercise the extra power given by the Assembly to cope with
the monetary crisis and to groom a successor.
The Assembly has drafted a decree which would give the
president an overriding power to prompt any necessary measures
when the country is in danger. (amd)
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