Siswono highlights reasons behind Soeharto's renomination

Siswono highlights reasons behind Soeharto's renomination

JAKARTA (JP): The country's political elite have renominated
incumbent President Soeharto because they are not ready to fill
his shoes, Minister of Transmigration Siswono Yudohusodo said
yesterday.

Siswono said it was a sense of inability to measure up to
Soeharto's outstanding achievements that had kept the elite from
initiating a succession of national leadership.

"Given (Soeharto's) great achievement, many members of the
political elite are not accustomed to seeing this nation live
without Pak Harto," he told reporters after installing eight
senior officials at the ministry.

As a young soldier, Soeharto took part in Indonesia's struggle
for independence from the Dutch in the late 1940s. He led a
legendary military attack in 1949 to occupy the republic's then
capital of Yogyakarta for six hours.

At 42, he was appointed by then President Sukarno as the chief
of a military operation to wrest West Irian from the Dutch in
1963. Two years later he led the Army to quash a coup attempt by
the now outlawed Indonesian Communist Party.

Siswono said political stability and economic prosperity in
the past 30 years were Soeharto's finest accomplishments.

The dominant Golkar, the Armed Forces and the bureaucracy, and
the Moslem-based United Development Party have announced their
support for Soeharto's renomination for the seventh five-year
term.

Soeharto accepted the renomination, but Siswono speculated
that the incumbent 76-year-old President might have expected that
the existing political organizations would choose another figure,
and wanted to play a backseat role as an advisor.

"He (Soeharto) knows that at his advanced age, the advisory
role fits him the best. He realizes that the country is in need
of figures who are physically fit, are bright and wise enough to
brave the present difficulties," said Siswono, who is now
completing his second successive cabinet term.

Siswono was referring to Soeharto's speech in the 33rd Golkar
anniversary reception in October last year. Soeharto said then
that even when he was no longer leading the country, he would
continue to offer his advise and encouragement to the people and
the future government.

But Siswono warned that the failure to choose alternative
national leaders would be hazardous to the country.

The People's Consultative Assembly will convene next March to
elect a president and vice president. By convention, each of the
five factions in the Assembly will consult the elected president
first before making its vice presidential nominations, a practice
that in the past virtually gave Soeharto prerogative to choose
his second in command.

Siswono suggested the Assembly not leave the election of the
vice president to the elected president.

"The vice president is elected by the Assembly and is required
to be able to cooperate with the president," he said, adding that
if the vice president failed to meet the requirements, they
should resign. (09)