Soemitro calls for open race for Vice President

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)