PDI-P leader supports caretaker plan

PDI-P leader supports caretaker plan

JAKARTA: Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
Perjuangan) deputy chairman Arifin Panigoro has expressed support
for the executive board's plan to appoint somebody to take over
the day-to-day running of the party from President Megawati
Soekarnoputri.

He said whoever was appointed would play an important role as
the party dealt with internal frictions.

"The party is in a difficult situation. There must be
improvements within the party ahead of the 2004 general
elections," Arifin said after attending the funeral of
nationalist Manai Sophiaan in South Jakarta.

Arifin said the person appointed to oversee the day-to-day
running of the party would be expected to improve the performance
and image of the party, which has been tainted by a series of
scandals.

These scandals, which have been widely covered by the media,
include the elections of heads of regional governments, political
rifts among central figures in the party and alleged money
politics. -- JP

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RI rivers among dirtiest in world
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RI rivers among dirtiest in world

MEDAN, North Sumatra: State Minister for Research and
Technology M Hatta Rajasa said on Saturday some rivers in
Indonesia, particularly those in Java, were among the dirtiest in
the world as a result of the uncontrolled dumping of industrial
waste.

He was speaking at a seminar on environmental management
technology at the University of North Sumatra.

The minister said the condition of the rivers had much to do
with the poor enforcement of environmental laws and the lack of
awareness on the part of businesspeople of the necessity to
preserve the environment.

The situation is exacerbated by the local communities' habit
of dumping household waste into the rivers.

The minister mentioned the Citarum River in West Java as one
of the most polluted waterways in the country. The river is 200
kilometers in length but only 10 kilometers is unpolluted.
--Antara

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Ex-minister gets honorary doctorate
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Ex-minister gets honorary doctorate

JAKARTA: Indonesia must maintain religious harmony or risk the
disintegration of the nation, former religious affairs minister
Tarmizi Thaher said.

Tamizi said religious harmony was the "superglue" holding all
of the country's ethnic and religious groups together.

He made the statement after receiving an honorary doctorate
from the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University here on
Saturday.

Tarmizi served as religious affairs minister from 1993 to 1998
under former president Soeharto.

He said preachers should always work to preserve tolerance
among different religious communities.

Also attending the ceremony were the university's rector
Azyumardi Azra, House of Representatives Deputy Speaker A.M.
Fatwa, Muslim scholar Komaruddin Hidayat and poet Taufiq Ismail.
-- Antara

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Indonesia to ask for higher haj quota
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Indonesia to ask for higher haj quota

MATARAM: Indonesia will ask the Saudi Arabian government to
increase its quota of haj pilgrims for next year's pilgrimage,
according to a minister.

Minister of Religious Affairs Said Agil Siradj Al Munawar said
the current haj quota of 205,000 pilgrims was no longer
sufficient to meet the growing demand among Muslims here.

"We will propose to the Saudi government that they allow some
10,000 of 30,000 people currently on the waiting list to take
part in next year's haj pilgrimage," he said in Mataram over the
weekend.

The minister said he would travel to Saudi Arabia on Sept. 16
to speak with Saudi officials about increasing Indonesia's haj
quota.

He said several provinces in Indonesia had asked to send more
pilgrims on the haj, including West Nusa Tenggara, South
Sulawesi, East Java, East Kalimantan, South Sumatra and Lampung.
-- Antara