Soeharto Award deadline extended for the public

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)