PPP decides to renominate Soeharto
JAKARTA (JP): Incumbent President Soeharto moved a step closer to receiving an unanimous vote for his renomination to another term after the United Development Party (PPP) announced its support of him yesterday.
It was the second declaration of support after the dominant Golkar named Soeharto the sole candidate for the presidential election in March, earlier this week.
The Indonesian Democratic Party has yet to announce its stance but deputy chairwoman Fatimah Achmad has welcomed Soeharto's renomination for the 1998/2003 term. Two other factions at the People's Consultative Assembly, the Armed Forces and the Regional Representatives, are traditional allies of Golkar and invariably support Golkar's stance.
PPP chairman Ismail Hasan Metareum said here yesterday PPP chose Soeharto because he is a great leader and because the country needs such a figure to survive future challenges.
"Nobody in the party opposes our decision," Ismail said of the decision making process. He said the Yogyakarta office, which previously nominated government critic Amien Rais, also approved the stance.
The PDI may make its formal stance next month when its leaders convene to deliberate its presidential and vice presidential candidates.
"We were actually the first to renominate Pak Harto," said Ismail, dismissing suggestions that the party was only parroting Golkar.
"We decided to announce our presidential candidate today because we were too busy with the People's Consultative Assembly sessions," he said.
Ismail said he met Soeharto on Jan. 7 to ask that he be ready to be nominated to another term.
"As a fighter I will not run away from my responsibilities," Ismail quoted Soeharto as saying.
Meanwhile, The Straits Times reported from Singapore yesterday that Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew expects tough times ahead for Indonesia but thinks President Soeharto will not evade his responsibility to see the country through the economic crisis.
"It is a time of crisis. I don't think he's going to evade his responsibility. He's got to see his country through," the daily newspaper quoted Lee as saying at a news conference in Bangkok for Singapore reporters.
Yesterday, PPP also named six vice presidential candidates. The party will choose from among them in another leadership meeting prior to the Assembly's March session.
They are incumbent Vice President Try Sutrisno, State Minister of Research and Technology B.J. Habibie, State Minister of National Development Planning Ginandjar Kartasasmita, Minister of Information R. Hartono, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Wiranto and Ismail himself.
The party also received motions from several groups in support of Amien, ousted chairperson of PDI Megawati Soekarnoputri and chairman of the country's largest Moslem organization Nahdlatul Ulama, Abdurrahman Wahid.
Ismail said it was not clear, however, whether the groups wanted the three figures as presidential or vice presidential candidates. "They only named the three as 'national leaders'," Ismail said.
Golkar chairman Harmoko said the PPP's announcement proved that the nation only wanted Soeharto.
Megawati responded coolly to Soeharto's decision to run in the presidential election in March.
"It's normal...The problem is how far a presidential candidate will fight it out to materialize the ideals of our independence," she said, reiterating her wish to join the presidential race. (imn/amd)
Vice president -- Page 2