Oka and Afan to represent govt in election body

Oka and Afan to represent govt in election body

JAKARTA (JP): Oka Mahendra of the Ministry of Justice, and
political scientist Afan Gaffar of the Yogyakarta-based Gadjah
Mada University will be two of the five government
representatives in the soon to be established National Election
Committee (KPU), an official said.

The confirmation was given late Monday by Ryaas Rasyid, the
director general for public administration and regional autonomy.
The committee was to have been set up on March 1, but was delayed
because the Team of Eleven -- in charge of examining and
selecting poll contestants -- has yet to complete its task.

The committee will be manned by representatives of both the
government and the political parties qualified to contest the
poll. The latest estimates have about 60 parties qualifying, a
dramatic increase from the last elections in 1997 when only
Golkar, the United Development Party and the Indonesian
Democratic Party took part.

Ryaas said that no officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs
would be assigned to the committee to ensure the office's
neutrality.

"Dunidja, director general for sociopolitical affairs,
secretary-general Feisal Tamin and myself will not join the
committee," he said, adding that the government would also pick a
military official to join the committee.

Feisal, also secretary-general of the existing General
Election Institution (LPU) that will be replaced by the KPU, was
earlier said to be on the committee.

Separately, Afan said in Yogyakarta he would honor his
appointment by fighting for a free and fair general election.

"I will do my best to be as neutral as possible in the
committee," he said.

The following are the activities of some of the political
parties contesting the June elections.

* Amien Rais, the chairman of the National Mandate Party
(PAN), which is believed to be one of eight stronger contenders,
said his party would carry out a program with four main measures
if it won the elections.

"If we can grab 30 percent of votes in the elections we will
immediately implement the main steps," he said after officiating
the party's chapters in Gianyar, Bali, on Tuesday.

The four measures are: to coalesce with credible parties in
order to form a clean and democratic government; to manage
natural resources better; bolster democratization; and improve
the quality of Indonesian human resources.

He insisted the establishment of a coalition would depend on
the election results. He said PAN would tie itself only with
parties that won the majority of votes and had the same political
vision.

The statement was also a response to news that the Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) under Megawati
Soekarnoputri, the National Awakening Party (PKB) led by Matori
Abdul Djalil, and the Justice and Unity Party led by Gen. (ret.)
Edi Sudradjat had agreed to form a coalition.

* Meanwhile, the United Development Party (PPP) called on two
of the countries largest Muslim organizations, Muhammadiyah and
Nahdlatul Ulama, to respect their members who wished to vote for
parties other than PAN (which is considered to be linked with
Muhammadiyah) and PKB (linked to Nahdlatul Ulama) in the
elections.

Chodijah, a PPP legislator, said after a meeting of the
Central Java provincial PPP chapter in Semarang on Tuesday that
many Muhammadiyah and NU members were joining parties other than
PAN and PKB.

* Ulemas affiliated to the PKB gathered here on Monday night
and issued a warning against violence and conflict among parties
on the eve of the elections.

Hasjim Muzadi, representing the ulemas, said unstable
political conditions should be handled wisely lest they grew into
anarchy.

He cited the recent clashes between supporters of PDI
Perjuangan and Golkar in Bali and the attack by PDI Perjuangan's
supporters of PDI chairman Budi Hardjono in Lampung on Sunday.

* PDI Perjuangan chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri called on
party supporters to avoid violence.

"Violence and anarchy will disrupt national unity," she said
in a seminar in Medan, North Sumatra, on Tuesday. She warned
against threats of disintegration facing the country.

She refused to take responsibility for the beating by PDI
Perjuangan's supporters of Budi. (rms/har/21/23)