Korpri members should vote, Soeharto says

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto yesterday called on members of the six-million strong Indonesian Civil Servants Corps (Korpri) to vote in the general election on May 29 next year.

Addressing a gathering for the 25th anniversary of the corps at Senayan Sports Stadium here yesterday, Soeharto said state employees should vote not only so their aspirations and interests are well represented, but also so the "momentum of national development" can be maintained without glitches.

"Korpri members are part of the whole Indonesian community. Therefore, all state employees should exercise their voting rights," he told some 100,000 people present at the event.

He said general elections are not organized merely to select legislatures, but, more importantly, to accommodate community dynamics into the Broad Guidelines of State Policies, which is the blueprint of national life for the next five years.

"This is why election campaigns should be held to offer to the public political contestants' programs," he said. "The people will then be able to consider whether their aspirations and interests are tended well."

President Soeharto's message for state employees to vote capped public discussions over the last few days about whether civil servants, with their obvious loyalty toward the dominant Golkar, should vote, or whether they should have seats in the House of Representatives reserved for them in exchange for not voting.

Korpri chairman Suryatna Subrata was the first to suggest that Korpri should not vote in return for seats in the House.

Advocates of the idea liken the corps to the Armed Forces, whose members do not vote in general elections but are represented by its members who are accorded 75 seats in the House.

Just like the Armed Forces, they argue, civil servants ought not affiliate with any political organization because they are supposed to serve people regardless of political background.

Opponents of the idea say the civil service corps' mission is fundamentally different from that of the Armed Forces, which deals with maintaining security and stability and therefore must be neutral.

There are no reasons, they argue, why civil servants should be deprived of their political right to vote.

The corps has recently reaffirmed its support of Golkar. The corps is one of the three main forces in the makeup of Golkar leadership; the other two major influences are the Armed Forces and mass organizations.

Also yesterday, President Soeharto reminded the corps that the success of national development and the government depends on the professionalism, dedication and the welfare of state employees.

"Korpri should give professional suggestions to the government, with or without being asked. The government does not wish to see Korpri become a passive executor of government policies," Soeharto said. (swe)