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.