Golkar promotion tactics criticized

SEMARANG (JP): Legislators and scholars decried yesterday the Central Java governor's decision to promote district chiefs in whose areas Golkar recorded more than 90 percent of the vote in the May election.

In a controversial move, Governor Suwardi is planning to give an automatic three-grade promotion, from a IIIB to a IVA, to the relevant district chiefs.

It is not known how many people will receive such promotions.

Golkar won 68 percent of the total vote in Central Java.

Toyfoer, chairman of the United Development Party faction in the Central Java legislative council, charged that Suwardi's policy violated the norms regulating the promotion of civil servants.

"If those district heads got promoted because they succeeded in amassing votes for Golkar, then their integrity as state and public servants should be questioned," he said.

Another local legislator, Daromi Irjas, said Suwardi's decision would breed insecurity and jealousy among civil servants in the local administration.

Daromi said other high-achieving civil servants who were more deserving of promotion may well have been overlooked because of these meritless promotions.

"This policy will indeed demoralize those civil servants who work to serve the public with all their heart. The governor's policy is deplorable," he said.

Political observers from nearby universities joined the chorus of disapproval at the controversial move.

Cornelis Lay, of the Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada University, and Novel Ali, of Diponegoro University in Semarang, blasted the planned promotions as discriminatory, illogical and dangerous to national unity.

They expressed concern that the policy could lead to discrimination of services against districts where Golkar did not win, resulting in a possible disparity in the pace of infrastructure development projects, such as roads and clear- water facilities.

"In this case, Suwardi should stop his policy because it could later stir up social jealousy and thus endanger national unity," said Cornelis, who teaches political science.

Novel agreed, saying that Suwardi should stop his policy immediately.

"Golkar has won, so let's see Golkar, through the Central Java governor, give a good example by avoiding making a policy that will make people angry," Novel said.

"A Golkar victory should be considered a victory for the people, not for the interests of district heads. I can't understand what's going on in the governor's head," he said. (har/aan)