First family to relax in Bali

First family to relax in Bali

DENPASAR, Bali: Taking a break from her state duties,
President Megawati Soekarnoputri plans to enjoy an extended
weekend in Bali with her family.

The first family -- the President, husband Taufik Kiemas and
daughter Puan Maharani -- will stay at a villa in Jimbaran
instead of the Tampaksiring presidential palace.

"This is just a family event, and the President has no
official schedule until next Monday," an official at the
Presidential Palace told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Megawati will arrive in Bali on Wednesday to open the fifth
foreign ministerial gathering of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM)
in Nusa Dua.

After the ASEM forum, Megawati, who took two days off last
week with a sore throat, will spend the rest of the week on the
island, returning to Jakarta on Sunday. Megawati's grandmother
was Balinese. -- JP

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ANPAa..r..
Scene-political-party
Scholars urge religious-free campaign
JP/4/party

Scholars urge religious-free campaign

JAKARTA: Political parties contesting the 2004 elections
should avoid the use of religious symbols while campaigning to
minimize the possibility of clashes among party supporters,
scholars say.

Cecep Syarifuddin, a leader of the country's largest Muslim
organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, said on Tuesday that elections
were part of the democratic exercise, so political parties should
uphold democratic values.

"The use of religious symbols to win the people's support
would only increase the possibility of clashes among party
supporters, which could lead to the disintegration of the
nation," he said during a seminar on religious harmony ahead of
the elections in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Syafi'i Maarif, the chairman of Muhammadiyah, the
country's second largest Muslim organization, said clashes could
be avoided if political leaders accepted the results of the
elections. --Antara

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ANPAa..r..
Scene-Panwaslu-fund
'Govt not serious about elections'
JP/4/election

'Govt not serious about elections'

JAKARTA: The chairman of the General Elections Supervisory
Committee, Komaruddin Hidayat, accused the government on Tuesday
of being lackadaisical in its preparations for next year's
elections.

"I would say the government is not serious in its preparations
for the election," Komaruddin said after a meeting with Vice
President Hamzah Haz.

He said the government's failure to release in full the funds
for his committee was an indication of its lack of urgency.

"Without supervision, democracy cannot run well," he said,
adding that supervision was an integral part of the election
process.

He stressed the importance of setting up committee branches at
the central, provincial, district and subdistrict levels, but
said that without the funds this would not be possible.

The committee, according to Komaruddin, had received only Rp
200 billion (US$200 million) of the Rp 500 billion it needed to
do its job. --Antara

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ANPAa..r..
National-Golkar
Golkar passes screening
JP/4/4Scene

Golkar passes screening

JAKARTA: The Ministry of Justice and Human Rights declared on
Tuesday that the Golkar Party had passed the first stage of
screening by the ministry, paving the way for the party to
participate in the 2004 legislative elections.

The screening was done at the party's headquarters in Slipi,
West Jakarta, and was aimed at determining whether Golkar met the
requirements of a political party.

The ministry was represented by, among others, Oka Mahendra, a
member of the minister's expert staff. On the Golkar side was
Akbar Tanjung, the embattled chairman of Golkar, and several of
the party's deputy chairmen.

During the screening, the ministry team examined the list of
the party's board of executives and the identity cards of both
the chairman and the secretary-general. The ministry still has to
screen Golkar's regional offices. --JP