Guess What? Sarwono Kusumaatmadja

With the election less than three months away, most government gestures are being interpreted as campaign tactics.

That was the feeling expressed by State Minister of Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja at a national workshop on developing better human resources to manage the environment.

Keeping with tradition, the minister was expected to beat a gong three times to open the event. Sarwono, who also heads the Environmental Impact Management Agency, explained that the philosophy behind beating the gong three times is to ensure a harmonious relationship between God, people and nature.

But instead of beating it three times, he hit the gong five times because, he said, he did not want to make any references to the three political parties contesting the upcoming election.

On election ballots, the United Development Party is listed first, the ruling Golkar party second, and the Indonesian Democratic Party third.

"I beat it five times for Pancasila," he said.

Pancasila, the state ideology, is made up of five principles: belief in God, humanity, national unity, democracy and social justice.

Even though he did not beat the gong twice, Sarwono, a former Golkar secretary-general, said that he remains committed to the party in the second position. (aan)