Reserved House seats for Korpri opposed<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The idea of allocating seats in the House of
\nRepresentatives to members of the Corps of Civil Servants
\n(Korpri) drew fire from a senior statesman yesterday.<\/p>\n
Emil Salim said he saw no reason for civil servants to be
\ndeprived of their political right to vote in the general
\nelection.<\/p>\n
Advocates of the idea liken the corps to the Armed Forces,
\nwhich do not vote in the election but are accorded 75 seats in
\nthe House.<\/p>\n
Just like the Armed Forces, they argue, civil servants ought
\nnot affiliate with any political organization because they are
\nsupposed to serve people regardless of their political
\nbackground.<\/p>\n
In practice, the Armed Forces is the backbone of the ruling
\nGolkar, which it established in 1964 to counter the growing
\ninfluence of the Indonesian Communist Party.<\/p>\n
Emil Salim, former state minister of population and
\nenvironment, argued that the civil service corps mission is
\nfundamentally different from that of the Armed Forces.<\/p>\n
\"The Armed Forces deals with maintaining security and
\nstability in the nation. They have to remain neutral,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The six-million strong civil service corps, known for its
\naffiliation with Golkar, has openly indicated its desire to have
\nHouse seats reserved for its members.<\/p>\n
Korpri chairman Suryatna Soebrata said Wednesday it would
\n\"probably be good\" if corps members were represented by
\nappointment in the House.<\/p>\n
\"That way, they wouldn't need to waste their energy voting in
\nthe election,\" said Suryatna, also secretary-general of the Home
\nAffairs Ministry.<\/p>\n
Observers say Korpri members face a dilemma because they are
\npublic servants and therefore supposedly neutral but
\ntraditionally they are Golkar supporters.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian civil service, in reality, does not play a
\nneutral role on the political scene and has proclaimed itself a
\nproponent of the Golkar faction.<\/p>\n
The corps formed part of Golkar's election machinery in past
\nyears, sending members to Golkar election rallies nationwide.<\/p>\n
At its recent congress in September this year, Korpri
\nreaffirmed its support for Golkar stated in Korpri Social,
\nPolitical and Legal Guidelines.<\/p>\n
Korpri is one of three main forces in the make-up of Golkar
\nleadership. The other two are the Armed Forces and
\nrepresentatives from mass organizations.<\/p>\n
The two minority political parties, the United Development
\nParty (PPP) and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), object to
\ngovernment regulations requiring civil servants to vote for
\nGolkar.<\/p>\n
Emil, a member of the board of advisors to the politically
\nwell-connected Association of Indonesian Moslem Intellectuals
\n(ICMI), said it would be more sensible to give corps members the
\nfreedom to vote for any political organization they like than to
\nreserve them seats in the House.<\/p>\n
A 1985 law on political organizations stipulates that Korpri
\nmembers may channel their political rights through any political
\norganizations only upon the \"approval\" of their superiors.<\/p>\n
Golkar, the PPP and the PDI, will contest 425 of the 500
\navailable seats in the House, in next year's general election.
\nThe remaining 75 seats are reserved for the Armed Forces. (imn)<\/p>",
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