Golkar pledges better education system

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)