Nominate candidates early: Rudini

JAKARTA (JP): Nominations for president and vice president should be made during the election campaign, from April 27, because it will help the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) elect the nation's leaders next March, former minister of home affairs Rudini said yesterday.

"This way, MPR members will know the candidates when the assembly begins," he told reporters yesterday.

Assuming that President Soeharto would be reelected, Rudini said, the People's Consultative Assembly would only need to consult with Soeharto on vice-presidential candidates.

He said that announcing candidates now was not illegal because no regulations prohibited.

The chair of the House Commission I for security and political affairs, Aisyah Aminy, said that naming presidential and vice- presidential candidates was part of political openness.

"Naming candidates during the election campaign is very important for helping people develop political maturity," she said in Yogyakarta yesterday after a seminar on campaigning.

Aisyah said a transparent process to elect a president and vice president was in line with demands for more political openness.

"People will then be able to follow all stages of the presidential and vice-presidential elections," she said.

She said the public could also make suggestion to improve or correct the election process.

The deputy secretary-general of the dominant Golkar, Theo L. Sambuaga, said Golkar would not disclose its candidates for the presidency or vice-presidency until the MPR's general session starts next year.

"Political parties are supposed to promote their programs in the election campaign, not name their presidential and vice- presidential candidates," he was quoted by Antara as saying.

Members of the 1,000-strong MPR will meet in March next year to elect a new president and vice president, and to establish five-yearly state guidelines.

Chairman of the House of Representatives' Armed Forces faction Suparman Achmad said it was unethical for political parties to announce their candidates now, when the President and Vice President were still in office.

"It's not our culture," he said.

The secretary-general of the influential Association of Indonesian Moslem Intellectuals (ICMI), Adi Sasono, said in Surabaya yesterday that the association would not nominate anybody for the presidency or vice-presidency.

"ICMI will never jump into practical politics," he said.

The secretary-general of the General Elections Institute, Suryatna Subrata, said Tuesday the three political groupings were free to announce their presidential and vice-presidential candidates during the campaign period.

The campaign period will start April 27 and end May 23 this year. There will be a cooling-off period of five days before election day.

The secretary-general of the Indonesian Democratic Party, Buttu R. Hutapea, said the party had decided to renominate Soeharto for the presidency, and would nominate a candidate for the vice-presidency at its leadership meeting early next year. (imn/har)

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