Soeharto Award deadline extended for the public

JAKARTA (JP): The University of Indonesia Students' executive body has extended its poll on recipients for a Soeharto Award until Monday evening to enable more people to participate, a member of the committee said on Sunday.

The extension of the poll, which was launched on May 22 and scheduled to end on May 26, was made in response to a rising number of people wanting to take part, Ari Wibowo said.

"We will give more time to the public to air their voices, as more people are likely to participate ," he told The Jakarta Post over the phone.

As of Wednesday, 1,200 people have given their votes to the poll organizer, Haccicomm, he said.

The poll was launched to decide which individuals, groups or institutions deserved the Soeharto Award for being antireformists and defenders of the New Order.

Ari said that based on tentative results, the names of prospective award winners were Attorney General Andi M. Ghalib, President B.J. Habibie and Minister of Defense and Security/Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen. Wiranto.

Ari said the results of the poll were expected to be announced on Tuesday.

"We are still discussing where the winners will be announced," he said, adding that the committee would deliver the awards directly to the addresses of the respective award receivers.

The award receivers could, possibly, be three people or institutions, who gain the most votes, Ari said.

Without elaborating, he said the awards would be plastic goblets with Soeharto's head sculptured on the top.

The award is named after the former president, who resigned on May 21 last year after mass protest and bloody riots.

The former president was believed to have practiced corruption, collusion and nepotism during his 32-year reign.

The criteria for those deserving the award includes, among others: people or institutions which have impeded the reform movement and have agreed on the allotment of 38 nonelected seats in the House of Representatives to the military.

Interested voters can phone 0809178195 or 08092130999, or they can fill in a form at the committee secretariat in Salemba, Central Jakarta. In the poll, they are asked who deserves the award and why. (01)