Soeharto celebrates 76th birthday

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto will celebrate today his 76th birthday with his six children, their spouses, 12 grandchildren, one great-grandchild, close relatives and friends at his residence on Jl. Cendana.

The private celebration will mark the second birthday in the absence of his wife, First Lady Tien Soeharto, who died on April 28, 1996. The health of the President is excellent and daily tasks are carried out smoothly, officials said.

He works and receives guests from Monday to Friday either at the Bina Graha office, the Merdeka or State Palace, at his residence, or by visiting regions to officiate various government projects. One of his favorite agenda, however, is to hold dialogs with farmers and villagers where he sometimes makes surprising statements.

"After saying his subuh (predawn) prayer, he usually reads newspapers and checks incoming documents or letters sent to him for approval," officials said.

Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono said last month that Soeharto reads very carefully but is also fast in processing letters. "I send him letters or documents in the afternoon and receive the answers by the next day," said Moerdiono.

Moerdiono, who has worked for Soeharto since early in his presidency, said the President was very attentive to people who work for him.

"He often warns or shows his disagreement or dissatisfaction in a very Javanese way," said Moerdiono. So gently and subtly does Soeharto delivers his rebuke that the people in question sometimes misinterpret the reprimand as praise, Moerdiono said.

Sudomo, the chairman of Supreme Advisory Council, said recently that Soeharto had an extraordinary ability to remember statistics.

Soeharto also receives hundreds of letters every year from children across the country, including those who criticize him. One junior high school student, Maina Firita, criticized Soeharto's strong Javanese dialect and doubted that the President used good Indonesian in his speeches.

Many people think Soeharto is always serious. Former adjutant Maj. Gen. K. Harseno, however, testified that Soeharto likes jokes.

Harseno said Vice President Try Sutrisno used to tell many jokes to Soeharto when Try was still Soeharto's adjutant in the 1970s.

"He likes to listen to Javanese gamelan and enjoys Javanese food like tempeh and gudeg," a state official said. Gudeg is made of jackfruit and coconut milk.

Stamina

To maintain his stamina, Soeharto plays golf and occasionally tennis, or goes fishing in the Jakarta Bay waters. He also likes to spend his leisure time visiting his farm in Tapos, Bogor, West Java.

"I know that many people hope that I fall sick," Soeharto said last month in a dialog with school children at the State Palace to commemorate National Education Day.

His half-brother, Probosutedjo, denied rumors last month that Soeharto would remarry after the wedding of his youngest son, Hutomo (Tommy) Mandala Putra, to Ardhia Pramesti Regita Cahyani.

"It is impossible for Soeharto to marry again, as it will affect his relationship with his six children," said Probosutedjo after checking the rumors personally with Soeharto.

In August 1994, Soeharto underwent a number of medical tests at the Gatot Soebroto Army Hospital, where it was discovered that he had kidney stones. The doctors later gave him a clean bill of health.

In July last year, he underwent a three-day medical checkup at a cardiac hospital in the German spa town of Bad Oeynhausen.

The head of the doctors team, Dr. Reiner Korfer, said that the head of state's organs -- including his heart, lungs and liver -- are functioning excellently. He was only slightly overweight.

"The doctors were surprised that someone 75 years of age could be in such good health, so prime," Probosutedjo said after the completion of the checkup last year.

Soeharto is widely expected to lead the nation's entry into the 21st century. The general session of the People's Consultative Assembly next March will very likely reelect him for his seventh consecutive term.

Since the death of Mrs. Tien, the question of succession has resurfaced repeatedly. Soeharto has kept his intention of whether to remain at the helm private.

When the question was posed to him on two occasions last year, the President said the first time that his intention is to see through the end of his term in 1998. Whether he would continue is up to the People's Consultative Assembly, he said.

On the second occasion, he said people should take into consideration his advancing age before nominating him for the job again. (06)