Veteran legion supports Soeharto

Veteran legion supports Soeharto

JAKARTA (JP): The Legion of Veterans yesterday reaffirmed its
support for the reelection of President Soeharto in 1998, in
spite of the death of First Lady Mrs. Tien Soeharto last Sunday.

"He is the right person for the presidential post and our
support for him has not changed," the legion's chairman, Lt. Gen.
Achmad Thahir was quoted by Antara as saying.

The organization will renominate Soeharto for the job, he said
during a legion function in Batam island in Riau province.

He described President Soeharto as an "everlasting" soldier
who is always ready to dedicate his services to the nation and
country.

The Legion of Veterans was one of the first organizations last
year to call on President Soeharto to run for the presidency
again when his current five-year term ends in 1998.

The president is elected by the 1,000 strong People's
Consultative Assembly, which meets every five years. Nominations
are formally declared by the five factions in the assembly: the
dominant Golkar political organization, the United Development
Party, the Indonesian Democratic party, the Regional
Representatives faction, and the Armed Forces faction.

President Soeharto has been elected as the sole candidate
since 1968.

Thahir said the Legion of Veterans also supports the proposal
to confer the national heroine title on Mrs. Tien Soeharto,
saying that she had led an exemplary life by showing strong
concern for the fate of war veterans and their wives, as well as
other economically disadvantaged people.

"Her presence is still felt by the wives of veterans," said
Thahir, who led the ceremony during which Mrs. Tien's coffin was
transported to her residence in Surakarta, Central Java, for the
funeral on Monday.

Thahir was in Batam to present an award from the legion to
Maj. Gen. (ret) Soedarsono Darmosoewito.

Soedarsono, a leading public figure in Batam, is a recipient
of various medals of honor from the government, including Bintang
Gerilya, Bintang Kartika Eka Paksi, Bintang Yudha Dharma, Bintang
Pratama and Bintang Utama. (emb)