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)