Golkar promises employment, education in East Timor

Golkar promises employment, education in East Timor

JAKARTA (JP): Golkar rallies went relatively smoothly over the
past two days in various parts of the country.

In Dili, the capital of East Timor, Golkar appeased local
people's concerns yesterday over the shortage of business and job
opportunities as well as education in the province.

"The problem you face is limited employment opportunity,
something that causes East Timorese youths anxiety and
impatience," said campaigner Ali Alatas before thousands of
Golkar supporters in a rally here yesterday.

"Golkar..will struggle until the government increases its
budget for the creation of employment opportunities for East
Timorese youths," promised Alatas, who is also minister of
foreign affairs.

In Medan, North Sumatra, campaigner Sjarifudin Baharsjah
optimistically predicted that 4,244,892 voters in North Sumatra
would vote Golkar. This equals 72.84 percent of the vote in the
province, and an increase from the 71.29 percent in the 1992
election.

Sjarifudin, who is also minister of agriculture, said
conference yesterday that around 65 percent of the province's
6,134,414 voters had been joining Golkar rallies.

Golkar rallies across Jakarta on Wednesday proceeded without a
glitch, thanks to tight security by armed police officers and
military riot guards posted in every hot spot in town.

Hundreds of military personnel were present, stationed on most
corners of Kampung Melayu and Jl. Otista, East Jakarta, and Jl.
Warung Buncit and Pancoran, South Jakarta. These areas and
several others were shattered by brawls between Golkar supporters
and those of the Moslem-based United Development Party earlier
this week.

The only incident in Jakarta on Wednesday occurred when Golkar
and PPP supporters clashed in front of Syarif Hidayatullah State
Institute for Islamic Studies on Jl. Ciputat Raya, South Jakarta.

According to Antara, the fighting started midday as Golkar
supporters passed through the street in convoys. Their two-finger
signals were resentfully met by the locals, who responded by
giving the one-finger PPP signal.

In Pulo Gadung Industrial Estate, East Jakarta, Golkar
chairman and Minister of Information Harmoko told some 2,000
party supporters that Golkar would, in the future, develop "fair
political ethics".

"Such practices are needed to replace the current tendency in
which political competitors try to strike out at, and bring down,
each other," he said.

Harmoko, who was accompanied by Jakarta Governor Surjadi
Soedirdja, eventually got the crowd to promise that Golkar would
get at least 70 percent of East Jakarta's votes. The rally ended
with a dangdut performance.

Elsewhere, in Yogyakarta, sporadic clashes occurred during
Golkar's campaigning Wednesday. A number of stone-hurling
incidents involving PPP supporters took place in several PPP
strongholds after angry Golkar supporters started tearing down
PPP flags.

Sigit, a PPP legislative candidate from Bantul regency, was
arrested Wednesday by security officials on charges of
instigating anger. Ten other PPP supporters were also arrested
while another one was stabbed by Golkar supporters.

The stone-pelting incident took place on the main streets of
Jl. Cokroaminoto, Jl. Gajah Mada, Jl. K.S. Tubun and in several
districts outside town.

An anti-Golkar demonstration took place on Wednesday on
Muhammadiyah University's campus. The protesters denounced the
attacks by Golkar supporters earlier this week on the campuses of
the Indonesian Islamic University and the State Institute for
Islamic Studies.

In Semarang, Golkar's last round of campaigning on Wednesday
featured huge street convoys. Antara reported that at 11 a.m.,
civil servants were allowed to leave their offices and were
deployed to join in the convoys.

Golkar's campaigners in Central Java included B.J. Habibie,
Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana and Soesilo Soedarman.

In Bandung, Golkar campaigners were briefly involved in a
stone fight Wednesday with students of Sunan Gunung Djati State
Institute for Islamic Studies, Bandung Islam University and
Pasundan University when the campaigners drove past their
campuses.

In Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, Haryanto Dhanutirto asked
locals to vote for Golkar, saying Indonesia still needed a
situation where a political grouping dominates. The so-called
"single majority" is needed to continue development, he said.

"Countries like Germany, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia can make
progress because there is a party who rules for a long time,"
Haryanto was quoted by Antara as saying.
(01/pwn/aan/38/jsk/21/33/ahy/nur)