Bakin chief warns election contestants

Bakin chief warns election contestants

JAKARTA (JP): The chief of the powerful State Intelligence
Coordinating Body (Bakin) warned political leaders yesterday not
to turn the upcoming election into a stage for confrontation.

M. Sudibyo, a retired lieutenant general, said the election is
not a Bharata Yuda (a war in the Mahabharata epic) but a
political fiesta to elect members of the legislative body.

"It is a forum for the nation to elect its best and brightest
people to represent them in the House of Representatives," he
said at a hearing with the House's Commission I for security.

Acknowledging that the political climate will heat up in the
run-up to the 1997 election, he said it is the responsibility of
all contesting parties not to make the situation explosive.

Sudibyo suggested that leaders at all levels of the contesting
political organizations establish communication.

"The contest should still be in the context of a competition
to prove who is the best. No one should turn the event to pull
the rug out from under the others' feet," he said. "Some
individuals may try to turn the situation into a political
confrontation. They should be stopped."

His suggestion for communication between leaders of the
contesting organizations was questioned by House member Sabam
Sirait of the Indonesian Democratic Party.

Sabam described how East Java Governor Basofi Soedirman set a
bad example by blocking PDI leaders' efforts to hold a local
congress to solve the leadership conflict in that province.

"In fact, the conflict could be solved within a week if the
East Java government gave us just one week to bring together the
37 local chapter leaders in a congress," he said.

Responding to an inquiry by House member Zainal Abidin of the
United Development Party, Sudibyo denied claims by a youth
organization that 50 House members had past links with the
outlawed Indonesian Communist Party.

Zainal demanded that the Armed Forces, who has the authority
to screen prospective House members, announced its findings of
its investigation into the claim.

"The claim is baseless. Every House member has passed the
screening and there is no reason to worry," Sudibyo said.

Didit Haryadi of the Golkar faction expressed concern about
radicalism among university students, non-governmental
organization activists and religious groups.

Didit said that there is strong indication that radicalism is
rearing its ugly head through ethnic and communal violence.

Sudibyo said that the amount of militancy has not been as
alarming as many people believe.

Recent cases of violence were sparked by "situational
problems", he said, citing the riot in Bandung this month which
was sparked by people being upset at not being able to attend the
Iwan Fals rock concert. (pan)