Tutut may get 'more important' position than VP, says scholar
Tutut may get 'more important' position than VP, says scholar
JAKARTA (JP): Golkar leader Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana might have
refused some people's motion to nominate her for the vice
presidency, but it is likely she will gain a politically more
important position, a scholar says.
Senior researcher Muhammad A.S. Hikam of the National
Institute of Sciences said here Saturday that in local politics,
the vice presidency has so far been an insignificant political
position.
Hardiyanti could instead be included in an alternative
scenario, where she would have a more decisive role such as the
chairmanship of the dominant Golkar, Hikam said.
The post would enable Hardiyanti, the eldest daughter of
President Soeharto, to have a greater bargaining position before
certain political institutions such as the People's Consultative
Assembly and the House of Representatives.
"Given that position, she would then in political reality be
able to control the political machine named Golkar," he said.
Hikam was speaking in a discussion on women and state
leadership which also examined Hardiyanti's and ousted Indonesian
Democratic Party (PDI) leader Megawati Soekarnoputri's chances at
the vice presidency.
Hardiyanti, better known as Mbak Tutut, recently declared she
did not have the capacity to become a vice president.
Hikam said that Hardiyanti has great political access, one
which gives her as great a chance as the other "top five"
candidates which includes incumbent Try Sutrisno, State Minister
of Research and Technology B.J. Habibie, Minister of Information
R. Hartono, State Minister of Development Planning Ginandjar
Kartasasmita, and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Wiranto.
"There's only one political liability of hers, though, the
fact that she is the daughter of the President," he said. "What
would people say (if she became vice president)?"
Hardiyanti also said over the weekend that it would be "funny"
if her father was reelected President for another term, while she
became the vice president.
Hikam named Megawati as the other female figure who had a
chance of being nominated for the presidency. Although the chance
was slight, he said it could become reality if there was
preceding political reform which originated from the pressures of
the economic crisis.
"If the crisis worsens and becomes even more intense, than it
is possible that the interests of some of the elite could
consolidate, and they'd consider her an alternative," Hikam said.
"Megawati's chance (at present) to become a vice presidential
candidate, much less a presidential candidate, is very slim
unless there was a systematic crisis which caused the
disintegration of the political elite, and at the same time there
was pressure from the lower levels," he said.
The discussion also featured Abdurrahman Wahid, the chairman
of Indonesia's largest Moslem organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU).
He said that Islam does not prohibit women from becoming state
leaders.
"If (either Hardiyanti or Megawati should be the next vice
president), it's not against Islamic teaching," he said. (09)