Golkar criticizes anti-yellow drive

Golkar criticizes anti-yellow drive

JAKARTA (JP): A senior official of the ruling party Golkar
criticized United Development Party (PPP) activists for resisting
the Central Java government's "yellowization" policy.

Rully Chaerul Azwar of Golkar's election strategy making body
charged the PPP activists with "over-reacting" to the
government's policy encouraging Golkar members in Central Java to
paint objects in public places yellow.

Critics see the "yellowization" scheme as a covert election
campaign by Golkar, whose color is yellow.

Rully said yesterday the PPP activists, who repainted yellow
objects white, had failed to distinguish between the local
government's activities and those of Golkar.

"The activists have shown their childish behavior and
political immaturity," Rully said. "By doing so, they have
damaged the local government's policy," he added.

A group of PPP cadres in Surakarta (Solo) displayed their
disgust with the "yellowization" campaign by repainting the
yellow objects white, a supposedly neutral color.

An angry Surakarta Mayor Iman Sutopo ordered them to repaint
the facilities yellow or face legal consequences.

Central Java governor Soewardi denied there were political
motives behind the yellow policy. He said it was simply a
promotion of the province's mascot, the Black Naped Oriole bird,
which happens to be yellow.

Rully said Golkar's central executive board has neither
encouraged nor prohibited their cadres from painting public
facilities such as fences, sidewalks, electric poles and mosque
domes yellow.

"Our cadres in Central Java are so energetic that they paint
public facilities yellow. It's good to have cadres like them,"
Rully said.

He denied the movement was a premature Golkar campaign in the
run-up to the May 29 general election. The government has
scheduled the campaign period for between April 29 and May 23.

"Our cadres do not break any election rules because they do
not carry the symbol nor the code number of Golkar," Rully said.
Golkar, second in the official order of election contestants, is
symbolized by the banyan tree.

Contestant number one PPP is represented by a picture of a
star and the third competitor, the Indonesian Democratic Party
(PDI), has opted for a picture of a bull's head.

Rully suggested both the Surakarta mayoralty and the PPP
activists settle their dispute through deliberations. "Judicial
proceedings should be the last resort," he said.

Golkar deputy chairman Din Syamsuddin agreed with Rully on the
need for prompt solution. Separately, he told reporters that if
conflicts over the "yellowization" broke out, both PPP and Golkar
would lose out.

"This should be solved soon. Otherwise there could be 'war'
between Golkar and PPP and in this situation it will be the other
political party that will benefit," he said, apparently referring
to the conflict-ridden PDI.

Escalation

The anti-yellow campaign continued in Surakarta yesterday and
is expected to escalate throughout Central Java province.

Deputy chairman of PPP's Central Java branch Thoyfoer
yesterday allowed party cadres of the province to keep the show
going, but asked them to maintain law and order.

However, the police have yet to take steps against the
movement. Central Java police spokesman Lt. Col. Bardja said that
the authorities did not consider the activists were disrupting
public order.

"The police will step in if the public raise complaints,"
Bardja said.

In Semarang, thousands of PPP supporters reportedly threatened
to close their accounts in city-owned Bank Pembangunan Daerah
(BPD) Jateng in response to the bank's publication of yellow
calendars.

PPP's Central Java branch secretary Harminto said he welcomed
the "capital flight". "The faster the better (to withdraw cash).
There are many banks which are more professional than BPD,"
Harminto said. (har/amd/imn)