Govt must show greater unity, YKPK says

Govt must show greater unity, YKPK says

JAKARTA (JP): A group of respected statesmen yesterday urged
the government to show greater unity, saying that recent discord
among cabinet members is undermining the integrity of the entire
administration.

There must be solid cooperation between senior government
officials, the National Brotherhood Foundation, known by its
Indonesian acronyms YKPK, said yesterday.

"The working of the government has become the subject of
public gossip," foundation chairman Lt. Gen. (ret.) Bambang
Triantoro told journalists.

"The people need an example," he said, reading the group's
statement on its hopes for 1996. "In the spirit of the 1945
Constitution, ministers must work closer together ... and pay
full attention to the views of the House of Representatives."

Bambang, the former chief of sociopolitical affairs at the
Armed Forces, said lack of cooperation between ministers, and
between ministers and directorate generals were "glaring" last
year.

He declined to elaborate. "Our main reference is the press.
Don't ask what is already obvious," he said.

"All government and public leaders must keep in mind that
power is delegated from the people," the statement said

Bambang confirmed this includes President Soeharto, "But we
don't know if that message will get to him," he said.

YKPK was founded in November bringing together more than 70
individual statesmen and leaders of a number of organizations.
Its members include well-known names such as Marzuki Darusman,
Soetandio Wignjosubroto, Kharis Suhud, R. Soeprapto, Mochtar
Buchori, Matori Abdul Jalil and Christianto Wibisono.

It is one of the few organizations regarded as credible, at
least in terms of membership, among the groups that were set up
last year, all claiming to defend the nation against the
pressures of disintegration.

It is also one of the few that has strong connections and
support from members of the government, including Minister of
Defense and Security Edi Sudradjat and Coordinating Minister of
Political Affairs and Security Soesilo Soedarman.

Bambang yesterday also announced YKPK's plan to hold a seminar
entitled "Indonesia's Journey to Nationhood, Achievements and
Challenges" in Surabaya, East Java, on Monday and Tuesday.

According to the program distributed yesterday, the seminar's
keynote speaker will be Wahono, the speaker of the House of
Representatives. No government official will address the
discussion but the program also cited a number of noted public
figures including Abdurrahman Wahid, Afan Gaffar, Kwik Kian Gie,
Mari Pangestu, Rizal Ramli, Dawam Rahardjo, Fuad Hassan and Umar
Kayam.

YKPK's hopes also centered on the 1997 elections, saying that
the event "should make the people happy and spirited, without the
need to disturb our harmony ... despite our differences."

All civilian and military officials "will act justly and
sensitively toward all contestants at every stage of the
elections," it said.

YKPK said the election should be turned into a "healthy,
friendly and educational political communication" for the
country.

On the justice system, YKPK said "the public's feeling of
justice will be deeply disturbed" if the courts of law, all the
way to the Supreme Court, do not follow the principle of equality
before the law. (anr)