Observer suggests open talks on succession

Observer suggests open talks on succession

JAKARTA (JP): A political observer has called for open talks
on national leadership succession, saying Indonesians must think
about the post-Soeharto era.

Former Golkar legislator Marzuki Darusman said in a discussion
with Jakarta-based political correspondents Saturday that
discourses on succession should start and not be treated as a
political taboo.

"Sooner or later, we must think about the post-Soeharto
leadership era," Marzuki said.

Marzuki, who is deputy chairman of the National Commission on
Human Rights, called for the establishment of a nationally
accepted mechanism to ensure that the next president had "clout".

He discussed the possibility of Soeharto's successor not
having as much power to run the country as Soeharto.

He said Soeharto had been building the country since 1965 and
that his successor would certainly not be as powerful.

"The person should, therefore, be equipped with extra-
constitutional power to maintain his administration," Marzuki
said.

He did not say what he meant by "extra-constitutional" but
said laws should be developed to help the successor run the
country.

He said this extra power was needed for the sake of the
country's stability and order.

"I believe all Indonesians want to see a happy ending to this
long political history," he said, citing the great harm the
country would face if leadership changed through force like a
coup or power struggle.

Marzuki, a House member from 1987-1992, said "I don't believe
any individual can ensure a smooth and peaceful succession. Only
a system can".

The question of national leadership succession is one of
Indonesia's political hot potatoes.

Scholars, politicians and other interest groups have often
locked horns on whether Indonesia needs to hold discussions on
who will replace Soeharto, or whether it is taboo to do so.

One of the first scholars to call for open discourses on the
subject was the Muhammadiyah Moslem Organization's chairman,
Amien Rais, who said such a discussion would help prepare the
nation for succession.

Government officials and politicians from the ruling Golkar
have often said Indonesia already has a well-laid mechanism for
leadership succession and that discussing the issue would be
tantamount to hustling the incumbent out.

More recently scholars and politicians have helped create the
perception that Soeharto's reelection is a foregone conclusion
and that remaining discussion should be on who will be the next
vice president.

President Soeharto has said several times that he would not be
president for life and that he adheres to the 1945 Constitution
on the question of succession.

Marzuki also spoke about the promotion of human rights in
Indonesia and said that in Indonesia human rights initiatives
remained government-sponsored.

"It is no wonder that many foreign countries have negative
views about Indonesia's human rights record, it's because of the
government's great influence on the issue," he said.

But Marzuki said he was sure Indonesia's human rights
protection record would improve, especially with increasing
public increasing support for it.

"More and more people realize the importance of protecting
human rights," he said. (imn)