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)