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)