Soemitro calls for open race for Vice President

JAKARTA (JP): Now that the 1998 presidential election is virtually settled, the race for vice president should be made as open as possible, influential former general Soemitro said yesterday.

Joining in the fray about the ideal candidates for the nation's number two post, Gen (ret.) Soemitro said the job should not be reserved for bureaucrats.

He named Moslem scholars Abdurrahman Wahid and Nurcholish Madjid, economists Sri Edi Swasono and Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti, political scholar Juwono Sudarsono and former student activists Fahmi Idris and Ekky Syachrudin as Indonesians with the potential to move into the Jl. Merdeka Selatan palace.

"I believe they are eligible for the post. The problem is that they have never been given the chance," the former chief of the defunct Operational Command for the Restoration of Security and Order said.

Under President Soeharto, the vice president has always been chosen from people who have served in the government or the Armed Forces.

Try Sutrisno, the current vice president, was ABRI chief; Sudharmono (1988-93) was state secretary; Umar Wirahadikusumah (1983-88) was a military figure; Adam Malik (1978-83) had served as foreign minister and Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX (1973-78) had served in various capacities in the administration.

Soemitro, who regularly gives sharp analysis of Indonesian politics, declined to comment about the presidential candidates since the job would probably be retained by the incumbent, Soeharto.

"We can see that support for President Soeharto has been pouring in. There is no doubt that he will lead this country for another five-year period," he said.

The latest debate on the future president and vice president was sparked by Golkar, the dominant political group, which last month laid out criteria for the next president. While falling short of naming names, analysts say Soeharto fits Golkar's guidelines.

The debate led to speculation about nominees for the next vice president, a position considered by analysts as an ever more important job given Soeharto's age and health. The President is 75 and went to Germany for medical treatment this year.

Among the names often cited as possible candidates are cabinet ministers like B.J. Habibie, Harmoko and Ginandjar Kartasasmita.

The People's Consultative Assembly is empowered to choose the vice president, but since Soeharto assumed power, the candidate has only been selected after consultations with the President.

Soemitro said the most important criterion for the next vice president is that he should come from the younger generation in order to bridge the age gap that currently exists between the President and several of his young cabinet members.

He also argued that one of the tasks of the next administration is to push a bill through the House of Representatives to set a term limit for future presidents.

Although the 1945 Constitution does not set any limit on the number of terms a president could serve, Soemitro argued that unlimited terms could lead to dictatorship, giving the president absolute power to control the state.

"Let bygones be bygones. There's nothing we can do about the past. But we can help prevent the nation from having to experience the same thing again," he said.

Soemitro also argued that Indonesia should work towards greater power sharing among the various state institutions.

"The House Speaker, Chief Justice, Chairman of the Supreme Advisory Council and Chairman of the Supreme Audit Agency have different but equal power with the president. They should be elected by the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), and not by the President," he said. (imn)