Teachers' Golkar move gets cool response<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Teachers Association's (PGRI)
\nrecent reassertion of political loyalty to Golkar has received
\ncool responses from two respected observers.<\/p>\n
Arbi Sanit and Arief Budiman told The Jakarta Post over the
\nweekend the endorsement was logical because the association has
\nbeen affiliated to Golkar from the outset.<\/p>\n
They said association members are civil servants and therefore
\nsubject to being politically and economically \"squeezed\" if they
\nfail to openly swing their support behind Golkar.<\/p>\n
Arbi Sanit, a political scholar from the University of
\nIndonesia, said the state has undemocratically coopted teachers
\npolitically and economically.<\/p>\n
Teachers are required to join the Indonesian Civil Servants
\nCorps (Korpri), and civil servants have to vote for Golkar, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Korpri teachers are paid by the state and therefore reliant on
\nthe government for their careers. They are politically controlled
\nby the government, he said.<\/p>\n
Association chairman Basyuni Suriamiharja said last Friday
\nPGRI members did not have to vote Golkar.<\/p>\n
\"They are free to vote for any political organization they
\nlike,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The 1,5 million-strong PGRI is the only recognized association
\nfor Indonesian teachers.<\/p>\n
Arbi said Basyuni was merely talking political jargon. \"It was
\na lie,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said many teachers complain that they work hard but have
\ncompulsory deductions of their salaries, are paid late and have
\nslow career advancement.<\/p>\n
Basyuni knows that only too well, but he is worried about
\nteachers' living conditions and he needs to repeat his call for
\nassociation members to vote for Golkar, Arbi said.<\/p>\n
The association has endorsed Golkar in all five general
\nelections since 1971.<\/p>\n
Arbi said it was ironic that Golkar was doing little to defend
\nthe interests of teachers.<\/p>\n
Separately, Salatiga-based sociologist Arief Budiman told the
\nPost there is nothing odd about association members voting Golkar
\nin the upcoming general election.<\/p>\n
Arief said the association is under pressure from the
\ngovernment to support Golkar.<\/p>\n
Some other organizations, notably those affiliated to Golkar,
\nhave been made to demonstrate their allegiance to the New Order
\ngovernment, he said.<\/p>\n
On Oct. 1 an estimated 50,000 members of Muhammadiyah Moslem
\norganization staged a rally in support of the New Order
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
The youth organization Pemuda Pancasila joined a rally in
\nJakarta on Oct. 19 commemorating the 32nd anniversary of Golkar
\nand reaffirmed their support for Golkar.<\/p>\n
No single organization dares demonstrate opposition to the
\ngovernment, he said.<\/p>\n
\"Obviously there is indirect pressure on organizations. It
\nshows our political condition is unhealthy,\" Arif said.<\/p>\n
By calling on members to vote Golkar in next general election,
\nthe teachers association is engaging in politics, Arief said.<\/p>\n
He said that as a professional organization, the PGRI should
\nnot engage in politics. But since there is pressure to do so,
\nthere is no single professional organization that is not involved
\nin politics. (03)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/teachers-golkar-move-gets-cool-response-1447893297",
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