Observers condemn civil servants' plan for Golkar

SEMARANG, Central Java (JP): Academics and legislators censured Saturday the Indonesian Civil Servants Corps (Korpri) for requiring each of its members to garner at least 10 votes for the ruling political organization, Golkar.

"It is in violation of human rights, especially if it means forcing Korpri members' relatives to vote for Golkar," said political scientist Is Susanto of Diponegoro University.

Similarly, local legislators from the two other political parties -- the United Development Party (PPP) and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) disparaged the plan made during the civil servants corps' national workshop in Jakarta last week.

The three political organizations will contest 425 seats in the 500-seat House of Representatives next year. The remaining 75 seats are reserved for the Armed Forces.

The corps has a membership of some six million people, comprising 3.5 million in the bureaucracy and 2.5 in various state-owned companies.

"If it was a binding and compulsory decision then I strongly reject it," said Is Susanto, who is head of the post graduate program at the University of Diponegoro's law school.

"If it is just an ordinary appeal then it's all right, there's no problem with that," he remarked.

The Indonesian civil service does not play a neutral role on the political scene and has proclaimed itself as a proponent of the ruling Golkar faction.

Chodijah, a member of the Central Java provincial legislative council is strongly opposed to the corps' move, describing it as a reckless plan.

She pointed out that the civil servants corps should realize that it belongs to all the Indonesian people and not just one political group.

"Apart from belonging to and serving the people, they should realize that their wages are not being paid by Golkar but by the government," said Chodijah.

"Korpri's plan will have a negative impact both on Korpri members and the bureaucracy in general," she said. Chodijah added that she was not at all surprised at such tactics. She cited the 1992 general elections in which each and every civil servant was told to get five votes for Golkar.

Another PPP legislator, Djuhad Mahja, denounced the decision saying it was "completely unfair".

He quipped that the corps should tell their members to vote for the other parties once and a while.

"During the 1992 elections Korpri forced its members to vote for Golkar. Wouldn't it be nice if they took turns and now told their members to pick either PPP or PDI," he said.

Djuhad then asserted that in essence civil servants should be free to affiliate with any party without fear of retribution or threat from the bureaucracy.

Separately PDI member Widodo Bendoljoyo of Central Java, conceded that as long as Civil Servants Corps' members stick to the rules of the game in the support of Golkar it would still be acceptable. However once vote getting involves coercion or intimidation then "it will not be tolerated". (har/mds)