Civil servants free to join parties

Civil servants free to join parties

JAKARTA (JP): In an apparent effort to maintain the support of
four million civil servants, the faction of the dominant Golkar,
which has declared it will be a formal political party, insisted
on Wednesday during deliberations on a political law that civil
servants be free to join the political parties of their choice.

Two other factions in the House of Representatives -- the
United Development Party (PPP) and the Indonesian Democratic
Party (PDI) -- wanted civil servants barred from parties. The
Armed Forces (ABRI) faction suggested that such membership be
decided on a voluntary basis.

Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid said in the session
that keeping civil servants out of politics was meant to make the
bureaucracy neutral and thus pave the way for a free and just
election in line with reform demands.

"Civil servants are still allowed to vote in elections,"
Syarwan said.

The deliberation on the issue on Wednesday was finally left
pending. Chairman of the Special Committee of the House (DPR) Abu
Hasan Sazili later said voting was possible. The Committee has
until Jan. 28 to deliberate the draft bills on parties, elections
and the function and composition of the legislative bodies.

Sazili, a Golkar legislator, said another issue the faction
would also insist on calling for a vote on was its proposal that
every political party makes the state ideology Pancasila their
guiding organizational principle. This issue was also left
pending Tuesday as factions differed on the subject.

The Special Committee consists of 52 representatives from
Golkar, 16 from PPP, five from PDI and 14 from the ABRI faction.

The subject of civil servants was related to Article 10 clause
2 of the government-sponsored draft bill on political parties.

"Civil servants and ABRI members cannot become members or
executives of political parties," the draft states.

Previously civil servants were also not allowed to join
parties but Golkar, the government said, was a party but a
grouping. Civil servants are enlisted in the Corps of Civil
Servants of the Republic of Indonesia (Korpri), which is a
"family member" of Golkar apart from the Armed Forces.

Following its recent congress Golkar announced it would be a
political party for the purpose of next year's elections.

Golkar said Wednesday it agreed Armed Forces personnel should
not join parties, but it suggested civil servants be allowed "for
the sake of human rights".

Minister Syarwan had said the Article was established to fend
off criticisms of the "monoloyalty" principal of civil servants
to Golkar. In each election since 1977, Golkar, has virtually
ensured the votes of the nationwide bureaucracy and their family
members of voting age. Civil servants have complained of risks to
their jobs if they dared to vote otherwise, claiming that the
supposedly secret votes could be traced to those casting them.

While PPP and PDI supported the government's stance, Golkar
legislator Mujib Rohmat cited human rights guaranteed through
Decree No. 17 of the People's Consultative Assembly on Human
Rights which defines freedom to assemble and organize.

PPP legislator Abduh Paddare and PDI's YB Wiyanjono reminded
everybody of the potential abuse of state facilities, if civil
servants are allowed to join political parties.

Another Golkar legislator, Soerjadi Setiawan, said there
should no longer be fear that one party could manipulate the
bureaucracy to serve its own interests, as the elections would be
jointly organized by the government and contesting political
parties. Prapto Prastianto of ABRI supported Golkar's argument.
(aan)