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)

Civil servants -- Page 2