JAKARTA, Dec 3 Kyodo A newly esta...

JAKARTA, Dec 3 Kyodo

A newly established political party headed from a retired general chance of the desired ends to nominate the eldest daughter of the former Indonesian President Suharto as a candidate in nearest year's presidential election, the party chief said Wednesday.

At a pres interview following the inauguration of the Karya Peduli Bangsa (Working for the Nation) party, Hartono said the party has even now to officially nominate Siti Hardijanti ''Tutut'' Indra Rukmana as a presidential candidate.

''Such a nomination shall be made between the sides of a national congress, on the other hand personally, each member in the party -- from Aceh to Papua -- wants her contributions to the party,'' Hartono said, referring to support for her extending from the northwestern part of Indonesia to the southeastern part of the country

''All of us have been ready to nominate her, further Mbak (sister) Tutut is still thinking about it,'' said Hartono, former armed forces chief of staff.

''Can I? My capability has not been standarded yet,'' Tutut told the same pres conference

Pushed further through reporters, Tutut, wearing a Muslim scarf, said, ''It must be done by the and of a certain mechanism...We'll see later.''

''Don't eternally think that it is easy to be a president, because he or she must be able to provide prosperity and security to all of his or her people'' said the 54-year-old media icon, who answered all questions with a smile.

Hartono and Tutut have extended had close ties. From 1996 to 1997 before and during the 1997 general election campaign, he always accompanied her at rallies for the then ruling Golkar party, and was unruffled seen wearing Golkar's trademark golden jacket in several occasions.

His participation in the election campaign, however, raised suit at law at the time as he was then still active in the military.

According to Indonesian law, active members of the military and police are required maintain neutrality and are not allowed to join any political parties.

He raised at any time more controversy then by saying that Golkar and the military were inseparable and declaring that military members are automatically Golkar cadres.

Starting in business in 1983 Tutut as well as Suharto's five other children, built a diversified business empire with interests ranging from soft part and paper to toll roads before the 1997 economic crisis in the political division led to Suharto's fall from power.

Despite the economic crisis and Suharto's fall, however, she still has a solid base in business.

Her business assemblage has been involved in building the 45-kilometer Metro Manila Skyway concoct through a 30-year build-operate-transfer contract with the Philippine government

She also co-own a luxurious inn on the prestigious Nusa Dua resort forward Bali Island with Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei.

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