Military wants PPP to end conflict and consolidate

Military wants PPP to end conflict and consolidate

JAKARTA (JP): Armed Forces (ABRI) Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung
told the United Development Party (PPP) yesterday to end its
factional bickering and consolidate.

PPP should learn from past experience that internal conflict
has hindered its own development and progress, he said when
addressing about 800 participants of the four-day congress which
opened Monday.

Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S.M. also briefed the
congress at the Pondok Gede Haj Dormitory, East Jakarta.

"The congress should seek ways on how to end the internal
conflict and strengthen consolidation," Feisal said.

Established in 1973, PPP is a fusion of four Moslem political
organizations Muslimin Indonesia (MI), Nahdlatul Ulama (NU),
Perti and Serikat Indonesia (SI). Internal conflict is usually
triggered by a struggle for power among the factions.

Feisal said that ABRI wanted to see PPP consolidate and
contribute more to the promotion of democracy in Indonesia.

ABRI, which plays a pivotal role in Indonesian politics, has
assured it will not interfere in the party's internal affairs.

Lt. Gen. R. Hartono, chief of ABRI's social-political affairs,
has assured that ABRI has no intention of pushing for any figure
it favors to lead the party, and promised it would welcome
whoever the congress elects.

Earlier rumors suggested that the military and the government
both wanted to see incumbent chairman Ismail Hasan Metareum to
remain at the helm for another five years.

Distrust

Minister Yogie warned that youths' distrust of political
organizations may lower people's participation in future general
elections.

Political organizations and the government should be mindful
of a trend among youths to mistrust them on the grounds that they
have failed to address their wishes, he said.

He said there was mounting pressure from young people, with
visions that differ from those of the older generation, who mean
to introduce foreign concepts into national politics.

The groups, whose numbers are growing, would not trust the
existing political organizations which generally hold onto old
values, he added.

"It is possible that many of them will refuse to vote in the
election," he said, adding that he was optimistic the
participation rate of the 1997 election would still be above 90
percent.

Yogie argued that intensive communication with the public
would allow the political organizations to absorb more of the
people's aspirations and make them more meaningful.

The Indonesian government sanctions three political
organizations, the Moslem-based PPP, the government-backed Golkar
and PDI (Indonesian Democratic Party) -- an amalgam of Christian
and nationalist forces.

The minister, who controls the development of socio-political
organizations, criticized PPP, PDI and Golkar for not
communicating enough with each other.

"It's deplorable that they seem to refuse to communicate," he
said.

In an apparent breach of the government's pledge not to
interfere in PPP's domestic affairs, Yogie suggested yesterday
that the party disregard voting for its new chairman.

Instead, the party should select its new leadership in the
spirit of musyawarah mufakat or deliberation for consensus.

"The government believes that deliberation for consensus is
better and therefore should be prioritized (over voting)," he
said. (pan/par)