Ministers can campaign, says Akbar Tandjung

Ministers can campaign, says Akbar Tandjung

JAKARTA (JP): Amid increasing demands that all ministers be
banned from campaigning, Golkar party chairman Akbar Tandjung is
maintaining there is no inherent conflict of interest.

Akbar, also Minister/State Secretary, said on Sunday just
because ministers held a political post and were state officials
should not preclude them from the campaign process.

"They should be allowed to campaign as long as there is no
conflict of interest. (If so) they can take leave," he said.

Ministers would be eligible to campaign only with the
President's permission Akbar said, after attending a party
function in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara.

On Monday the General Elections Commission (KPU) is scheduled
to decide whether to allow Cabinet ministers to campaign for
parties contesting the June 7 polls.

In Yogyakarta, Commission deputy chairman Harun Alrasid said
on Saturday all ministers would be banned from campaigning except
for Akbar and State Minister of Investment Hamzah Haz. The latter
chairs the United Development Party.

"How can we ban party chairmen from campaigning?" Harun said.

The Commission would soon issue a ruling against the abuse of
state facilities, he said.

Regional civil servants need no longer greet visiting party
executives, who happened to be their superiors, he said.

Responding to public outrage over former ministerial
prerogative to freely campaign for Golkar, the practice would no
longer be allowed, Harun said.

Minister of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Adi
Sasono, earlier said he will not campaign for Golkar, but Akbar
insisted there was "no excuse" for ministers not to campaign.

Almost all ministers are Golkar executives.

"Their position in the government cannot be separated from the
support of their respective organizations," Akbar said.

Separately, Adi said on Sunday he would opt for the "larger
interest" and refrain from campaigning, in an effort to recover
public trust in the government.

In Jakarta, Chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN) Amien
Rais, said President B.J. Habibie should ban all ministers from
campaigning.

"If a minister campaigns, he will most likely bring along all
of his assistants ... with pockets full of money ... this can
easily develop into money politics," Amien said on Saturday,
after launching his book on corruption.

Amien reiterated demands that Akbar resign from his
ministerial post if he wished to remain Golkar chairman.

In Yogyakarta, PAN secretary general Faisal Basri, said the
KPU should rule against the use of state facilities in
campaigning, which ministers would most likely abuse otherwise.

Recent visits to the regions by chairman of the Supreme
Advisory Board A.A. Baramuli, were ill-disguised Golkar
campaigns, he said.

Five of the 37 ministers have been barred from campaigning.

They are the Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid, Minister
of Justice Muladi, Minister of Security and Defense/ Armed Forces
Commander Gen. Wiranto, Attorney General A.M. Ghalib and
Coordinating Minister for Development Supervision and
Administrative Reforms Hartarto.

Apart from Adi Sasono, State Minister of Food and Horticulture
A.M. Saefuddin of the United Development Party, earlier announced
he would not participate in campaigning. (29/edt/23/44)