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)