Luhur Hertanto, Jakarta – The general chairperson of the Functional Party of National Concern (PKPB), [former army chief of staff] R. Hartono is ready to face people who want to bury the New Order [regime of former President Suharto]. According to Hartono, burying the New Order is the same as burying [the state ideology of] Pancasila.
This was explained by the retired four star general during a press conference at the Borobudur Hotel on Jl Lapangan Banteng in Jakarta on Tuesday January 13.
“Go ahead and criticise [us]. These are people who know little but talk a lot. The New Order is a mental attitude [which aims] to purify Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution. If you don’t like Pak Harto [President Suharto] fine, but don’t bury the New Order”, explained Hartono.
Not afraid of being named a rotten pollution? The former army chief said that what determines if a party member is good or bad is the party. “Not this tiny bunch of people. We will sue them if their charges are not accompanied by evidence”, he threatened.
During this opportunity, Hartono also said that to date, [Suharto’s eldest daughter] Siti Hardiyanti “Tutut” Rukmana has yet to give an answer to PKPB’s proposal that she be their presidential candidate. Because of this added Hartono, there is still an opportunity for new names to emerge as the party’s presidential candidate.
“Although there has yet to be any input from local [branches], all of them are still asking for Mbak [big sister] Tutut to be the presidential candidate”, said Hartono.
What is clear he said, is that is issue has yet to be discussed seriously by PKPB’s national working meeting. According to Hartono, the national working meeting has only discussed strategies on winning the elections.
“The issue of the presidential candidate is still waiting on the results of the legislative elections. If [we] obtain up to five per cent of the vote, this means that we will have the right to participate in the nomination of a presidential [candidate]. What’s the point of discussing it now, come on, we don’t [even] know yet if we will be able to put forward a nomination or not”, said Hartono. (djo)
[Translated by James Balowski.]
