People 'to decide on Soeharto's renomination'

People 'to decide on Soeharto's renomination'

BOGOR, West Java (JP): Golkar patron B.J. Habibie said
yesterday only the people have a final say on whether incumbent
President Soeharto should be renominated for another term of
office next year.

Speaking to reporters after opening the Association of
Indonesian Moslem Intellectuals (ICMI) annual conference at the
Bogor Institute of Agriculture, Habibie said he was confident the
President would always place the interest of the nation above
everything in decision making.

"Pak Harto is a real pejuang (freedom fighter), who will never
just think of personal interests," he said. "If people want him
(Soeharto) to serve another presidential term, he will accept the
request under any condition."

Habibie, the association's chairman, was commenting on a
recent statement by Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, President Soeharto's
eldest daughter and a Golkar leader, that she would prefer if her
father were not reelected and could spend more time with his
family.

Briefing students of the Semarang-based Diponegoro University,
Hardiyanti, better known as Mbak Tutut, said it would be up to
the people, represented by members of the People's Consultative
Assembly (MPR) to decide whether or not they wished to renominate
Soeharto.

Ginandjar Kartasasmita, the chairman of the Golkar faction at
the Assembly, said yesterday Golkar's stance remained the same
and it would go ahead with its renomination of Soeharto.

"There is no change in Golkar board's decision until now,"
said Ginandjar, who addressed a session of the meeting. "The
Golkar faction at MPR will therefore continue to support the
board's decision."

Ginandjar, also State Minister of National Development
Planning, said the decision to renominate the incumbent President
was a collective decision.

Golkar formally announced its decision to renominate Soeharto
in its leadership meeting last October.

Soeharto, however, told party executives to reconfirm their
decision with Golkar cadres and supporters, saying that they
still had several months to change their mind.

Asked whether the Golkar faction would consider Hardiyanti's
statement in its final decision, Ginandjar said the decision
would rest with the people.

Commenting on Soeharto's leadership, Habibie said the
President had been successful in ushering in both physical and
mental development of the nation.

"Pak Harto is not only the Father of Indonesian Development,
but also Father of Pancasila Democracy," he said.

Habibie, also State Minister of Research and Technology, said
Soeharto had been successful in nurturing the growth of the state
ideology Pancasila and in unifying the nation.

Asked whether the national meeting would issue a political
statement on the future state leadership, Habibie said it was not
on the agenda.

"Let's leave the process to the existing mechanism, the
general meeting of the MPR," he said.

The 1,000-member MPR will reconvene next March to elect a
president and vice president and endorse the 1998/2003 State
Policy Guidelines. (imn)