Govt, House to drop civil servants issue

JAKARTA (JP): The government and senior legislators emerged from a high-level meeting on Friday saying that they had agreed to drop the contentious issue of civil servants' political rights from bills currently being deliberated by the House of Representatives.

Civil servants' rights will instead be covered by a government regulation to be issued at a later date.

The two sides also reaffirmed their commitment to passing the bills by Jan. 28.

However, the meeting failed to break the impasse over the number of unelected seats to be allocated to the Armed Forces (ABRI) in the House, and whether voting in general elections should revolve around regencies or provinces.

The meeting began at 9 a.m and lasted for three hours. It was held at the official residence of Edy Waluyo, who is a member of ABRI's faction and Jakarta Council Speaker.

Commenting on the results of the meeting which he described as "informal", Golkar legislator Abu Hasan Sazili said "the sun has shone". Sazili chairs the House Special Committee currently deliberating the bills.

He said there had been "a meeting of minds", but maintained that a final decision on the issues discussed at yesterday's meeting could only be taken at an open session of the special committee scheduled for Jan. 25.

"The results of today's meeting will first be forwarded to faction leaders and members," Sazili said.

The government was represented on Friday by Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid, the ministry's Secretary-general Feisal Tamin, Director General for Sociopolitical Affairs Dunidja and Ryaas Rasyid, who chairs the government team that drafted the bills.

The Armed Forces was represented by its commander, Gen. Wiranto, who is also the minister of defense and security.

Golkar was represented by House faction leader Andi Mattalatta, faction secretary Tuswandi and members Freddy Latumahina and Slamet Effendy Jusuf. Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung, who is also the minister/state secretary, was absent.

The United Development Party (PPP) sent its House faction leader Zarkasih Nur and Secretary-general Ali Marwan Hanan, who represented the party chairman, Hamzah Haz. Hamzah is also state minister of investment/chairman of the investment coordinating board.

The minority Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) was represented by its chairman, Budi Hardjono, and Secretary-general Buttu Hutapea.

"We've all agreed and remain committed to holding the election on schedule (on June 7) and completing deliberation of the political bills by Jan. 28," Zarkasih said after the meeting.

Zarkasih said that Golkar had agreed to drop all reference to the political rights of civil servants from the bills and were happy to have the matter covered by a separate government regulation preventing civil servants from holding political party membership.

Ryaas concurred, adding that participants in the meeting had agreed not to use "voting" to arrive at a final decision on the bills.

The planned government regulation would stipulate that if a civil servant wanted to join a political party, he or she "must take leave without the state stipend or resign", Ryaas added.

Refusal

However, when contacted by telephone, Golkar deputy chairman Marzuki Darusman said the results of the meeting were not acceptable.

"We don't want that," adding that the clause on "leave without the state stipend" required further clarification.

Under Govt. Regulation No. 24/1976, a civil servant with five years service can take up to four years unpaid leave for "important and urgent personal reasons." Posts vacated in this way are filled temporarily by other employees.

Marzuki said that although Golkar agreed that a neutral bureaucracy was important if a free and fair election was to be held, civil servants' must not lose their political rights.

He said the regulation should be drafted in such a way as to leave civil servants' neutrality unaffected by their involvement in politics.

"But, I can't yet say how," said Marzuki, who also chairs the respected National Commission on Human Rights.

Marzuki said Golkar was "very aware" that poor handling of the matter could trigger public anger.

"We are aware of public opinion and are seeking a compromise," he asserted.

Commenting on Golkar's likely insistence that the regulation must be drafted in line with the law as it currently stands, Zarkasih said: "Let the government and Golkar deal with the matter."

Article 30 of the 1974 Basic Law states only that Article 28 of the 1945 Constitution, which deals with civil servants' freedom of assembly, should be regulated by another regulation.

Article 8 of Law No. 3/1985 on political parties states that civil servants can hold membership or executive positions with political parties if they have the permission of their superiors.

Law No. 3/1985 has been widely condemned as undemocratic and is supposed to be amended by the political bills currently being deliberated by the House. (01/aan)