President hopefuls encouraged

President hopefuls encouraged

SURAKARTA, Central Java: Former home affairs minister Rudini
said no laws would be violated if President Soeharto is re-
elected to a seventh term as president in 1998.

Rudini, who now heads a research and study center, told the
Post that "if the People's Consultative Assembly elects President
Soeharto again, there's no problem".

In addition, "there's also no laws forbidding other people
coming up with their own candidates", he said. "We should be
optimistic that there will be other candidates supported by the
people," he said.

He called on the public not to discourage potential candidates
by comparing them with Soeharto's skill and experience. "The more
candidates that emerge, the better, and we'd better not compare
them with Pak Harto," he said. (har)