(3 Dec 1998) Indonesian/Nat
The Indonesian government has announced the election timetable for next year but has dropped plans to set up an independent panel to investigate former President Suharto.
Parliamentary elections will be held on June 7 and the nation's highest legislative assembly will elect a new president on August 29.
The announcement of next year's electoral timetable came after a meeting with President B-J Habibie and key Cabinet ministers at Parliament.
Habibie is expected to run for president, but his ruling Golkar party has lost credibility because of its role as an instrument of Suharto's rule for decades.
The announcement was made by speaker of the assembly Harmoko.
SOUNDBITE: (Indonesian)
"It is agreed that the general election, God willing, will take place on the 7th of June 1999."
SUPER CAPTION: Harmoko, speaker of house
The announcement of the election dates came amid widespread suspicion among student protesters that President Habibie would delay the elections and stall other democratic reforms.
Yet many students were unlikely to be satisfied with the election timetable.
They have demanded the immediate resignation of Habibie, who took office from Suharto in May after riots and protests against his 32-year authoritarian rule.
SOUNDBITE: (Indonesian)
"It is expected that the first sitting of the House of Representatives (MPR) will take place on the 29th of August 1999 coinciding with the anniversary of the Parliament of the Republic of Indonesia."
SUPER CAPTION: Harmoko, speaker of house
Habibie, meanwhile, abandoned plans for an independent corruption inquiry of Suharto.
The government had trouble finding public figures who were willing to join the panel,
which was viewed as a cosmetic gesture by critics.
Instead, Habibie again ordered Attorney General Andi Mohamad Ghalib to investigate Suharto.
A previous inquiry by Ghalib turned up no evidence of wrongdoing and opponents
labelled it a whitewash.
SOUNDBITE: (Indonesian)
"Regarding Presidential decree number 30, 1998, concerning allegations of collusion, corruption and nepotism, the Attorney General is instructed to take proactive, effective and efficient steps to clean up collusion, corruption and nepotism in order to speed up national development for the good of the Indonesian people."
SUPER CAPTION: Akbar Tanjung, Secretary of State
In keeping with Indonesian law, the People's Consultative Assembly will elect a new president. There is no direct presidential poll.
However, the thousand-member assembly is packed with holdovers from the Suharto era and critics say it does not have the credibility to choose a new leader for the nation of 202 (m) million people.
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