Minority, dominant factions differ on reforms

Minority, dominant factions differ on reforms

JAKARTA (JP): The minority parties pressed ahead yesterday
with their demands for clean governance and political reform to
be included in the State Policy Guidelines for the next five
years while government factions in the People's Consultative
Assembly downplayed the need for change.

The five factions in the 1,000-strong Assembly -- Golkar, the
Armed Forces (ABRI), The United Development Party (PPP),
Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) and regional representatives --
were exchanging views on the draft of the 1998-2003 guidelines
and their accompanying bylaws.

The minority PPP and PDI demanded that the next government
take concrete steps to end the widespread corruption in the
bureaucracy and monopolistic practices they blamed for the
widening disparity that led to the economic crisis.

They said it was unrealistic to hope for a quick recovery from
the hardships unless the government initiated a political
overhaul along with the economic reform prescribed by the
International Monetary Fund.

The PDI dismissed the 1998-2003 draft State Policy Guidelines
as "too optimistic" because they were drafted before the full
effects of the crisis became apparent.

The government-backed Golkar faction acknowledged the
increasing demand for government bureaucrats to be "more open" to
the wishes of the people they are supposed to serve.

It underlined the need for government officials to improve
their service standards, professionalism, discipline and
integrity.

The powerful ABRI and regional representatives, which usually
take the same stand as Golkar on fundamental issues, accepted the
draft prepared by the Assembly working committee that comprises
representatives from the five factions.

The draft will be finalized on Friday and Saturday.

PPP spokesman Endin A.J. Soefihara pointed out that corrupt
practices in the bureaucracy could be traced from the
government's policy to require civil servants to support "a
certain grouping", an obvious reference to Golkar.

"One way to create clean governance is to free civil servants
from such a political burden so they can serve no one but the
people regardless of their background," he said.

Favoritism

The Moslem-based party was also steadfast in its longstanding
demand for the government to stop favoring Golkar in general
elections over the minority parties

"There is no way to defeat the political organization (Golkar)
because it has the support of the military and the bureaucracy,"
another PPP spokesman, Muhammad Kaoy Syah, said.

PPP and PDI repeated their long-held demand that political
organizations should be allowed to establish branch offices at
all administrative levels, from the provincial down to the
village.

"This would allow them to have direct contact with their
supporters at the grassroots level," PDI faction spokesman
Anthonius Rahail said.

Under the present laws, PPP, PDI and Golkar are allowed to
open branch offices only down to the regency level. PPP and PDI
charge that this policy benefits Golkar because all
administrative chiefs are required to become Golkar members,
giving village chiefs a free hand to mobilize support for Golkar.

PPP and PDI also demanded that they be involved in all
planning and implementation stages of the general election.

Golkar, through one of its senior members Siti Hardiyanti
Rukmana, President Soeharto's eldest daughter, stressed the need
to stop power abuses in the bureaucracy.

"Corruption, collusion, nepotism and other forms of abuse of
power will hamper the implementation of development," she said.
"Only after the problem is resolved will the much-idealized clean
and respectable government come about."

But Golkar rejected calls for the guidelines to be revised.
Hardiyanti said they already allowed the government to take all
necessary steps in case of unexpected crises as is happening now.

On religious affairs, the ABRI faction agreed with the PPP
proposal that future guidelines should include a clause
recommending that mystical believers should be made to choose one
of the five religions sanctioned by the government.

The PPP argued that the Constitution guarantees the rights of
religious believers, not mystical believers. (team)