PPP ends leadership meeting

PPP ends leadership meeting

CIPAYUNG, West Java (JP): The United Development Party (PPP)
denounces the practice of a certain political grouping of
mobilizing civil servants and school students for its cadre
meetings.

PPP chairman Ismail Hasan Metareum said yesterday that
involving civil servants and students during office and school
hours for political activities "is against the national
discipline drive".

"The practice must stop. School students can't be considered
political groupings' cadres, either," Ismail told reporters after
a concluding plenary session at the Moslem-based party's three-
day leadership meeting.

He refused to name the political grouping he was referring to,
but spoke of "one chairman of a social political organization who
always travels to various regions to meet school students, who we
know should be studying".

"(Party executives) can meet cadres anytime, but not during
school or office hours," he said. "I need not mention his name,"
he said.

There are three officially-sanctioned political groupings in
Indonesia: Golkar, PPP and the nationalist Indonesian Democratic
Party (PDI). Experts and critics alike have often criticized
Golkar chairman Harmoko, who travels extensively to hold meetings
of Golkar cadres, of electioneering.

In his highly-profile trips, Harmoko, who is also Minister of
Information, is often pictured as being enthusiastically welcomed
by young supporters.

Ismail was clarifying the party's political statement issued
at the plenary and read by a Party executive, Usamah. Party
executives Zain Badjeber, Hamzah Haz and Tosari Widjaja were
among those who accompanied Ismail.

The statement contained 11 points, the first five of which
pertained to elections.

Ismail said the points reflected the feelings of
representatives of five provincial branches who said on Tuesday
they would boycott the 1997 elections if cheating continues.

"The representatives were involved in the drawing up of the
statement," he said.

Ismail, however, repeatedly dismissed the press' questions on
the party's position regarding the threat.

Rusjdi Hamka, the chairman of Jakarta branch of PPP, told
reporters that if manipulation persisted, such as during the
ballot counting process, "we might as well leave the arena."

He was supported by the chairmen of the Bengkulu, West and
South Kalimantan, and Aceh offices.

The gathering had heard reports of cheating, intimidation and
even physical abuse towards party officials in the 1992 elections
in various provinces. Party members said they have filed
complaints to the government, but received no response so far.

Ismail's statement on the involvement of civil servants and
students by a certain political grouping was contained in points
two, three and five in the statement.

"The party urges that the 1997 elections be held on a holiday,
to enable people to channel their political aspirations (through
any political groupings) in accordance with the choice of their
hearts," the statement said in point two.

The party said in the third point that "the state apparatus
does not belong to one group or one political organization.
Therefore, mobilization by a certain organization of civil
servants violate rules and is inconsistent with the national
discipline campaign."

In the fifth point, the party also "condemns the mobilization
by social political organizations of students, particularly
during their study hours."

The party also issued a fresh call to the government yesterday
to include all of the political groupings in all stages of
general elections, from voters' registration to ballot counting.

The government has stated that only the bureaucracy is
entitled to the job. Although Golkar stands in the general
elections like any other political grouping, the bureaucracy-
backed grouping is not officially named as a political party.

Both PPP and PDI have said that cheating in general elections
occurs, for instance, because civil servants are automatically
Golkar members through their membership of the Corps of the
Indonesian Civil Servants (Korpri). It is a public understanding
that Korpri members should only vote for Golkar.

"In the case of cheating, intimidation, manipulation and other
actions which hurt people and make them suffer, the party urges
that the government take actions and deliver sanctions against
the guilty party", the statement said further.

The Party will also "take concrete action to defend people who
become victims of the implementation of elections," the statement
read.

Ismail said the Party has yet to discuss what "concrete
actions" to take. (anr)

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