Presidential contenders keep Habibie on his toe

Presidential contenders keep Habibie on his toe

By Kornelius Purba

JAKARTA (JP): What is President B.J. Habibie's chance of
winning the presidential election? The result of Monday's general
election will help determine that, but some people around him
play a significant role in ensuring a smooth trip to the
presidential seat.

Among those is Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung who, after his
resignation as minister/state secretary on May 13 gained a
significant political leverage. Habibie now has to please Akbar
so Golkar will not change its mind about nominating the
President. There are also several people who are Habibie's
serious contenders because Golkar, too, has named them vice
presidential candidates.

Akbar may have seemed pensive and was even tearful during the
transfer ceremony of his position to Minister of Justice Muladi,
but he felt relieved afterward.

"Good luck," Habibie said then with a big smile before kissing
and hugging the tearful Akbar during the ceremony at the State
Palace.

"I shall return," Akbar assured the President, his voice
cracking with emotion, while his wife Krisna Maharani hugged
First Lady Hasri Ainun Habibie.

Palace officials and their wives then hastened to pay special
attention to Muladi, who also keeps his first post, and wife Nany
Ratna Asmara. Krisnina stood by herself while Akbar made a
farewell statement to journalists.

Akbar's resignation from the cabinet was required by the
General Elections Commission (KPU) if he wanted to campaign for
his party during the election campaign period, which ended on
Friday.

"Pak Habibie is Golkar's best and sole candidate for the next
presidential election," Akbar insisted then.

Two days later Golkar nominated Akbar as a vice presidential
candidate along with three other figures: Minister of
Defense/Indonesian Military Chief Gen. Wiranto, Coordinating
Minister for Economy, Finance and Industry Ginandjar Kartasasmita
and Yogyakarta monarch Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X.

One of Akbar's aides said Akbar felt much better after he
resigned because it gave him more independence before the
President. He also felt he was now free of pressure from people
closest to Habibie.

"Pak Habibie's most trusted people often act as if they are
more important than ministers," the aide said after the transfer
ceremony.

The aide, who worked for Akbar while he was still state
minister for youths and sports in the early 1990s, described his
boss' support for the President as a "flexible" arrangement.

Habibie's camp apparently realized that the President was
actually dependent on pleasing Akbar at a certain capacity as
Golkar's chairman, because Habibie did not have a line of command
with Golkar.

Palace officials then arranged Akbar to accompany the
President as often as possible, so the two could be "emotionally
closer".

"They spoke in German, so actually I did not know what they
were talking about," Akbar complained when journalists asked him
about the President's meeting with a German delegation, which
Akbar attended.

On May 14, Golkar leaders endorsed Habibie's nomination
despite opposition from some of Akbar's top aides in the party
including Marzuki Darusman.

Marzuki has openly said Wiranto was better than Habibie, due
to Habibie's poor track record in the past and his inability to
investigate former president Soeharto.

"I do not want to make any comment about the nomination,"
Wiranto said late last month after meeting with Habibie at
Merdeka Palace.

Wiranto told his close friends recently that personally he was
not close to the President, but he would remain loyal to him as
the country's constitutional leader.

When he was a colonel, Wiranto served to then president
Soeharto as an adjutant for four years until 1993. He was often
made to wait for up to five hours while Habibie, then state
minister of research and technology, chatted with Soeharto.
Palace officials have described the period as among the most
boring for Wiranto.

"Pak Wiranto still often meets with Pak Harto," one of
Soeharto's aides said last week.

The aide said Soeharto and his six children actually still
prefer Wiranto to Habibie as the leader of the country. The
former first family complained Habibie had abandoned and left
them unprotected, the aide said.

Stumbling block

It is likely that on Monday evening, after the preliminary
result of the voting is announced, Habibie's fate will likely
become clear.

Apart from the opposition groups, who are Habibie's most
serious contenders? Golkar cadres, especially the four vice
presidential candidates, some analysts have said.

The four do not only have the potential to be the second man,
but even to replace the President himself. Some said it was not
likely the Sultan would agree to work for Habibie as they
practically have no contact at all.

But palace officials said one of the President's most serious
problems was how to manage his "inner circle cronies".

They pointed their finger at Development Inspector Fuadi
Rasjid; Minister/State Secretary's Assistant of Foreign Affairs
Dewi Fortuna Anwar; and Secretary of Development Operations Lt.
Gen. (ret) Sintong Panjaitan.

Vice President Secretary Ahmad Watik Pratiknya, and Jimly
Assidiqie, the vice president's assistant for people's welfare
and poverty alleviation, are also included on the list.

"They may well become an asset for him, but if he cannot
manage them properly, they may become a liability," said a senior
palace official early this month.

Sources said the President was very surprised when he read a
one-page advertisement on the People's Sovereignty Party in
Kompas daily on May 27, announcing its endorsement for the
Minister of Cooperatives Adi Sasono as its presidential
candidate.

"Adi is his most trusted minister in the cabinet," said an
official.