Guess What? Sarwono Kusumaatmadja

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)