400 students pledge allegiance to Golkar

SURABAYA (JP): Hundreds of senior high school students in the Mojokerto regency have pledged to vote for the ruling Golkar group in the general elections next year.

Nearly 400 students from the state high school Sooko made their wishes known last week to Hariyono, secretary to the Mojokerto municipality, and Golkar's local chief, Moeslim. The students said they had family members belonging to the Civil Servants Corp and the Armed Forces.

A second show of support came from 300 students at several high schools in Dawarblandong.

The students told the regent and the head of the local legislative council that they would vote for Golkar and would persuade their friends to follow suit.

However, there were reports of coercion. "The principals instructed the students to do it, and threatened them with suspension or even expulsion," one teacher said, requesting anonymity.

The teacher also said that the principals were, in turn, pressured by Modjokerto Regent Machmud Zain and the head of the local office of the Ministry of Education and Culture, Atlan.

"It's a dilemma for the teachers and the principals. We couldn't do anything but follow instructions," the teacher said.

"That's not true," Atlan told The Jakarta Post, adding that the students' pledge was a positive development.

"It indicates the students have critical minds, because they can decide their political aspirations for themselves," he said.

Soeryadi Setiawan, a senior official at the local office of the Ministry of Home Affairs, said there's no problem whatsoever with the pledge. "What happened was a mobilization of individual cadres (of Golkar)," he said.

Under the general election law, voting is meant to be confidential. (15/01)