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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