'If I were a civil servant ...'

'If I were a civil servant ...'

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S. M. said
yesterday that while civil servants are not obliged to support
Golkar, they are still expected to vote for the ruling political
organization.

Yogie, who is not a member of the politically powerful
Indonesian Civil Servants Corps (Korpri), suggested that
government employees who do not vote for Golkar should resign
from their jobs.

"If I were a member of Korpri, I'd quit and get another job if
I didn't want to choose Golkar," he told reporters.

The minister was speaking to reporters after attending a
hearing with the House of Representatives, during which a
question was raised about the legality of the government's policy
of urging its employees to vote for Golkar.

Korpri chairman Suryatna Soebrata, also Yogie's secretary-
general, said the law guarantees that civil servants are free to
vote for the party of their choice.

Civil servants are also free to join any political party
"subject to approval from their superiors," Suryatna said.

He said government employees are expected to show loyalty to
the government, and not Golkar. But this "monoloyalty" concept
has been widely misunderstood to mean that they should also vote
for Golkar during the elections, he said.

"It is just people's misinterpretation if they equate
government with Golkar," he said.

Yogie denied that senior government officials prevent civil
servants from joining political organizations other than Golkar,
saying that the complaints were totally unfounded.

"They shouldn't complain before even trying," he said.

The two minority parties have often complained that civil
servants are forced to vote for Golkar at elections and that
those who did not comply could be fired from their jobs.

Although the civil service is apolitical, Korpri has been one
of the main components of Golkar's election machinery.

Former home minister Rudini last week proposed that the Civil
Service should be treated like the Armed Forces, who do not vote
at elections but are allocated seats in the House of
Representatives. (anr)