Muslim party tensions worry students

SEMARANG (JP): Students at Diponegoro University have conveyed their concerns that a number of Muslim-oriented political parties still practice name calling and trade accusations.

Secretary of the Family of Diponegoro University Students, M. Subekti, said on Monday the party executives were to blame for any continued friction.

In Jepara on April 30, four died and a dozen were injured in a clash involving supporters of the United Development Party (PPP) and the National Awakening Party (PKB)

The family, Subekti said, urges parties, particularly in Central Java, to prevent the possibility of clashes by being wise in their addresses to audiences.

Cholil Bisri of PKB acknowledged the tendency of party leaders to become passionate in their speeches and said the party had urged speechmakers to provide "rational and ethical" political education in their speeches.

On Sunday, crowds wearing symbols of the United Development Party burned down a house owned by PKB founder Fatoni in Kudus.

The deputy secretary of PKB's Kudus branch, Abdullah Zaeni, said crowds also damaged hundreds of PKB symbols along the roads.

"Only a day before, party representatives in Kudus signed an agreement to ensure peace and order and avoid clashes and destruction before and during campaigns and on election day," Zaeni said.

Also on Monday, a private poll-watch group of Sebelas Maret University (UNS) in Surakarta announced its findings that the Golkar Party had attempted to buy votes.

Coordinator of the Election Monitoring Working Group, Teguh Supriyadi, said Golkar was found to have paid people Rp 25,000 each to attend its precampaign activities in the Sruweng district of Kebumen regency.

Earlier reports also mentioned money politics practiced by other parties.

Despite an earlier statement by parties that they agree to the appeal of Minister of Defense and Security/Indonesian Military Commander Gen. Wiranto that all parties stop precampaign activities, several parties conducted various campaign activities on Monday.

Such activities have included the familiarizing of party symbols, cadre meetings, religious gatherings and declarations of party chapters.

The agreement was reached on May 11 following the military's revelation that at least 10 people had been killed and 50 injured in 33 party clashes since March. However, party leaders were not present when the agreement was reached in Bali. It was attended by authorities, including Wiranto.

In Sumenep, Madura, a member of the advisory board of the People's Sovereignty Party (PDR), Asmuni, said after a branch declaration that the party would not sue those accusing the party of abusing state facilities.

The Urban Poor Consortium, for instance, has charged that the Ministry of Cooperatives and Small Enterprises, led by Adi Sasono, had been abused to favor the party. Adi has refuted the charges, adding that the party is abusing social safety funds and credit to farmers.

Antara reported from Bandung, West Java, on Monday that political party leaders issued a pledge for orderly elections at the start of the Peaceful Election Carnival. Similar events were held on Sunday in Jakarta and Yogyakarta.

On Tuesday in Yogyakarta, the 48 parties contesting the polls are slated to join a "sympathetic rally" in which prizes will be given to the most alluring party. The event is being held by parties and the provincial elections committee.

Another bid for peaceful elections was held Monday in Yogyakarta by leaders of five religions. They signed a statement to help prevent respective followers from provoking one another. It was initiated by the Brotherhood of Religious Communities and was witnessed by Governor Sultan Hamengkubuwono X.

In Jayapura, Irian Jaya, the provincial election committee said that as of Monday, ballot papers had only reached Manokwari and Merauke regencies, and that those for the House of Representatives were missing. More than 100 of 173 districts are accessible only by sea and air, and election officials feared polls would fail to take place given further delay of ballot papers.

Antara also reported from Banda Aceh that Abdurrahman Wahid, founder of the National Awakening Party, is slated to be the first campaigner in the province on May 19.

A number of regencies worst hit by the military operations of 1989 to 1998 are said to have barely reached 20 percent of their eligible voter registration. (har/44/34/anr)