Stay out presidential campaign: Amien Rais

Stay out presidential campaign: Amien Rais

JAKARTA (JP): The Moslem organization Muhammadiyah warned its
members Saturday against campaigning for either Presidential or
Vice Presidential candidates ahead of the general session of the
People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) next March.

Muhammadiyah Chairman Amien Rais told thousands of its members
at a meeting in the East Java town of Tulungagung, that the
organization would leave the selection of the nation's leaders to
the assembly.

"We ask all Muhammadiyah members to be careful about the
election of the President who will guide this nation into the
21st century," he said.

"We are not going to back any individual who will stand for
the post, although we do have a lot of expectations for the
candidate to fulfill," Amien was quoted by Antara saying.

The 25 million-strong Muhammadiyah is second in size only to
Nahdlatul Ulama, which is led by the influential Abdurrahman
Wahid.

The MPR convenes here next March to decide the broad
guidelines of state policies and to elect the President and Vice
President for the 1998-2003 period.

President Soeharto is favored to clinch his sixth five-year
term. Several cabinet ministers have been tipped for the Vice
Presidency.

Amien said that Muhammadiyah would never set specific criteria
for presidential candidates, but expected that they could, among
other things, maintain political stability, raise the welfare of
society, be willing to dedicate themselves to the country and
uphold the state ideology Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution.

"Muhammadiyah is looking for a president who always thinks of
national benefits above personal and group interests and is eager
to heed the people's aspirations," he said.

The President must be able to rise above all national problems
and get along with people, Amien said.

He also warned organization members against possible
provocation by certain groups ahead of the March assembly.

"I warn you not to fall in with any destructive movement
provoked by other groups. It's not easy to rebuild once
everything is wrecked," he said.

He reminded the crowd that the recent riots which claimed many
lives, cause massive financial losses and destroyed many places
of worship went against the teachings of Islam.

Amien praised the New Order under Soeharto for its development
programs that increased literacy, health and living expectation
rates and maintained commendable economic growth.

However he said socioeconomic disparity, corruption and
inadequate law enforcement remained substantial problems that
Indonesia had to solve.

"For those reasons, I score the government's performance in
the past 25 years as 7.5 (out of10)," he said. (amd)