Soeharto says fair election 'difficult'

Soeharto says fair election 'difficult'

TOKYO (Reuters): A climate of violence and fierce competition threatens the fairness of Indonesian general elections in June, former president Soeharto said in an interview published on Wednesday.

Spreading violence and the presence of dozens of new political parties will make holding fair elections "difficult", the former political strongman said in a Jakarta interview with Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun.

It was the first interview Soeharto has given since leaving office last May. His youngest son, Hutomo Mandala Putra or Tommy, is currently on trial on graft charges.

"The number of political parties has grown from three to 48. Even with three parties, it was hard to carry out fair elections. I doubt that free and fair elections are possible with 48 parties," he was quoted as saying.

"There are politicians in local areas who are making use of this and fanning violence," Soeharto said, noting difficulties in preparing for the elections.

He acknowledged that holding elections was one phase of political reform, but said current conditions were ripe for a revival of communism in Indonesia, the Yomiuri said.

He blamed detained guerrilla leader Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao, who urged a popular insurrection last week, for bloody clashes between pro-independence forces and Jakarta loyalists that have rocked East Timor since.

"The Indonesian government, in an effort to swiftly solve the problem (of East Timor), has given its people the choice of independence or autonomy, and has also provided Gusmao with chances to solve the problem," he was quoted as saying.

"But he has merely called for fighting against the country, becoming the root of the problem," Soeharto said.

Soeharto said it had been the wish of East Timor to join Indonesia, not the other way around, and that the country "was not able to refuse them".

Soeharto, who resigned in May last year, said he decided to step down mainly to avoid widespread bloodshed.

"I had the support of the military, and if they had used their strength, there was the possibility that many could have died as a result, particularly many of the students who are the future of our country," he was quoted as saying.

"The people wanted me to quit, and so if that was for the benefit of the country, it was an appropriate thing to do," he said. "But the results of this are as you see now."

Tommy went on trial on graft charges on Monday -- the first member of what was once the country's most powerful family to be tried since Soeharto's downfall.

Tommy and two other men have been charged with corruption over the lease of government land by one of his companies.

The Indonesian authorities have been questioning Soeharto and other family members over allegations of corruption, but Tommy is the first to be formally charged.

The former general and his family have been accused of amassing a multi-billion fortune during his army-backed 32-year rule.