Harmoko met by Golkar cadres on Ramadhan tour
Harmoko met by Golkar cadres on Ramadhan tour
By Ainur R. Sophiaan
PEMALANG, Central Java (JP): Thousands of people clad in
yellow -- the party color of the ruling Golkar -- greeted
Minister of Information Harmoko at various stops on his annual
Safari Ramadhan trip.
Leaving Jakarta on Sunday, he was welcomed by Golkar
supporters once he entered the West Java cities of Bekasi,
Karawang and Indramayu.
Harmoko, also the chairman of Golkar, is being accompanied on
his current trip by, among others, Director General of Public
Information Soedarjanto, Director General of Press and Graphics
Subrata, chairman of the House Commission I for information Abu
Hasan Sadzili, and Golkar executives Agung Laksono and Aulia
Rachman.
In his many speeches Harmoko did not mention Golkar. But
because the thousands of people attending wore yellow and the
venues decorated with the party color, the meetings with
villagers very much resembled party gatherings.
Harmoko is also scheduled to hold closed meetings with leaders
of various Golkar branches.
The chief of Golkar's Karawang branch, Soetarno, told The
Jakarta Post he was not ordered to organize any welcoming rallies
for Harmoko, but decided to do so himself. "I decided to take
advantage of the minister's visit to consolidate Golkar members
here," he said.
In the city of Karawang, 86.9 percent of the votes in the 1992
general election went to Golkar, making it one of the ruling
party's West Java strongholds.
Harmoko logs thousands of kilometers on the trip every year
during the fasting month of Ramadhan, for the official purpose of
disseminating national development results to remote areas.
The minister's past visits have been known to turn into Golkar
gatherings, a fact often criticized by the party's opponents.
Despite complaints from the United Development Party and the
Indonesian Democratic Party, the trips continue.
Warnings
In Indramayu on Sunday, Harmoko told his audience to beware of
domestic and international forces which try to incite conflict
and instability in an effort to prevent Indonesia from
progressing.
"The Armed Forces, supported by the people, quelled the July
27 riots and unrest in Situbondo, Tasikmalaya and West Kalimantan
last year," Harmoko said.
Harmoko stressed the need for each citizen to be mindful of
issues that smack of rabble rousing, pit one against another, and
of provocation by irresponsible parties which he did not name.
"These kinds of trouble are early warning signs and must be
reported to the police, local military district commanders or
subdistrict heads," he said, appealing to citizens to remain calm
and exercise restraint in the face of sensitive issues.
During his trip, Harmoko inspected a number of villages that
were included in the government's poverty alleviation programs to
discuss their latest achievements.
Chaerudin, who received government aid through the Hidayatul
Falaah Moslem boarding school, said the loan of Rp 200,000 (US$
84) helped him develop his satay business.
"I am now able to save Rp 3,000 every week and my life has
shown some improvement," the father of one child was quoted by
Antara as saying.
Harmoko cited a fish farmer who received assistance of Rp
400,000 ($167.60) and whose harvest has grown to have a value of
Rp 1.5 million ($628.80) after five months. He also told of
another farmer who received Rp 300,000 ($126) and sold the six
goats he raised eight months later to make a profit of Rp 960,000
($402).
"I am proud to know that rural people have benefited from the
program," he said.