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)