Golkar drops three names from council nominations

JAKARTA (JP): The city's Election Committee announced yesterday that out of the 120 Golkar City Council candidates, three members had been dropped from final nomination list.

Although Golkar received 47 letters from the public questioning the nomination of 18 of its candidates, the grouping's spokesman said the party had decided to drop only two candidates and another had died.

Spokesman Sugeng Suprijatna, deputy of Golkar's city chapter, declined to say whether the two were among the 18 nominations queried.

In reply to the letters he said Golkar would strive to improve its candidates' qualities.

The Election Committee's secretary, Bagus Suharyono, said the candidate who died was R.M. Radjagoekgoek, number 83 from South Jakarta, while the other two were dropped for moral reasons.

These were Chaniago Pattimura from South Jakarta and M.Z. Abidin from East Jakarta, candidates numbers 44 and 42 respectively.

Bagus said the moral reasons could mean various things, "such as having an affair with another man's wife ..."

None of the candidates from the Moslem-oriented United Development Party (PPP) and the nationalist-Christian alliance Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), were dropped.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Governor of Administrative Affairs Idroes, head of the city's election committee Sidharta Tjokrowasito and chairmen of the city's parties.

The committee disclosed it had received 81 letters following public scrutiny of the candidates from the period set from Jan. 21 to Feb. 18. During this time the public was allowed to raise complaints or objections against candidates.

"The 81 letters were directed to the council's 42 candidates," Bagus, who heads the city's political and social directorate, said.

He said 47 letters questioned the choice of 18 of Golkar candidates. Twenty-one letters were on 20 candidates from PPP and 13 letters referred to four PDI candidates, he said.

"Questions included candidates' moral behavior, administrative matters, basic matters like ideology, and internal party problems," Bagus said.

Administrative matters refer to basic candidate requirements: Candidates must be at least 21 years old and have clearance from the government's internal security agency over any links with the outlawed Indonesian Communist Party.

After the withdrawal, the final nomination lists from PPP contained 119 candidates, Golkar had 117 and PDI had 117 candidates. The lists will be officially announced Monday.

The 353 candidates will contest the May 29 general election, vying for 60 of the 75 City Council seats. The remaining 15 seats are reserved for members of the Armed Forces who do not vote.

Idroes reminded the three political parties yesterday that they should remember to develop their programs and not only compete for seats.

Golkar now has 31 council seats, PPP 15, PDI 14, and ABRI has 15.

Last week the head of Golkar's city chapter, Tadjus Sobirin, said the three contestants would suggest to Governor Surjadi Soedirdja that the City Council could have 100 instead of 75 members. The meeting with Surjadi is for scheduled today.

One reason to have more councilors was that Jakarta does not have a district level council like other provinces, Tadjus said.

Councilors are divided on whether more are needed. M. Rodja of the United Development Party said the current 75 members were enough, while others said more were needed as Jakarta's problems were becoming increasingly complicated.

Bagus said the Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S.M. and Minister of Information Harmoko, had issued election campaign guidelines.

These included the government's right to screen campaign speeches, to pick moderators for broadcasted public debates, and procedures to gain police approval to hold rallies.

An estimated 7,453,416 out of the city's 9,851,467 people will vote on election day in the sixth election since 1971. (ste/13)