Golkar pledges better education system
JAKARTA (JP): After spending the first three days of the campaign making promises to eradicate poverty and reduce unemployment, Golkar changed course slightly yesterday by promising to improve the nation's state education system.
The dominant grouping entered the fourth day of the campaign yesterday pledging it would strive to increase the state education budget in a bid to produce better qualified Indonesian human resources to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
"Golkar is concerned with efforts to improve the quality of Indonesian human resources," Harmoko said in front of thousands of Golkar supporters in Jambi.
"One day all Indonesians will be university graduates or doctoral-degree holders. We don't want our people to have only an elementary school education."
Harmoko, who is also the Minister of Information, denied his statement was just an empty promise. "We'll work hard to fulfill our promises," he promised again.
Jambi is one of Golkar's strongholds. It won 91 percent of the votes cast in the province in the last election. This year it has set its target at 96 percent.
"The target is merely to help the government fulfill its promises to meet people's aspirations," said the chairman of the government-backed organization.
He made another promise when describing the funds needed by the Tanjung Jabung residents in Jambi to install a water treatment facility to meet their daily clean water needs. "Golkar will provide Rp 4.5 billion (US$1.8 million) for the (planned) construction of the water treatment facility," he said.
Also yesterday, Harmoko publicly helped a small-scale businesswoman, Sumini, in her efforts to raise Rp 500,000 to expand her trading business.
He summoned an official of the Jambi Provincial Development Bank, Machmud, to step onto the stage, and asked him to give a non-collateral loan to Sumini.
Rocker
Lady rocker Renny Djajoesman, who is currently in East Timor for a series of Golkar campaign appearances, offered to act as a bridge between the local people and the government. She said there were differences in how the two sides viewed development in the province.
"I saw that the East Timorese have many things on their minds. Perhaps, they'll be willing to express their hidden wish through art," she told The Jakarta Post yesterday.
Renny said she would stage a play which also included music, drama, poetry and local arts.
"We expect those who are still silent to open up through arts," she said. (imn/33)