Soeharto wants smooth election

Soeharto wants smooth election

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto told top military leaders
yesterday that he does not want to see anyone threaten next
month's general election.

The election is a channel for people to express their
political wishes, the President said when meeting with top
military leaders who had just completed a leadership meeting.

"Therefore an optimal effort is necessary to make sure that
there is no obstacle, no disturbance and no threat by anyone for
any reason to foil the election," he said.

The two-day meeting at the Armed Forces headquarters focused
on security arrangements for the May 29 election.

Present at the leadership meeting were Armed Forces Chief Gen.
Feisal Tanjung, Army Chief Gen. Hartono, Air Force Chief Vice
Marshall Sutria Tubagus, Navy Chief Vice Admiral Arief
Kushariadi, Police Chief Lt. Gen. Dibyo Widodo and all regional
military commanders.

The government has been encouraging people to go to the
pooling booths on election day to make the event a success.

Several interest groups, including the unrecognized Democratic
People's Party and the Indonesian Democratic Union Party, have
openly called for people to boycott the election.

President Soeharto has denied critics' allegations that the
general election is a mere ploy to legitimate his 30-year rule
for another five years.

The contestants, Golkar, the United Development Party (PPP)
and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) will vie for 425 seats
in the 500-seat House of Representatives. The remaining 75 seats
are reserved for the Armed Forces.

Soeharto said that in the past, the percentage of eligible
voters who cast a ballot was always high, over 90 percent. This,
he said, suggested that people's awareness was excellent.

"Now, some irresponsible people are out to undermine the
people's determination to use their basic political rights. They
instigate people not to go to the polls," he said.

As the election day draws near, security authorities have
taken precautionary measures against potential troublemakers.
This week, 24 demonstrating students were rounded up for urging
people to boycott the election. Eight of them will be taken to
court.

Earlier, activists of the Indonesian Democratic Union Party
were also detained. They were charged with instigating people
into boycotting the election and discrediting the government.

"I insist that security officers suppress any disturbance and
threat at the earliest stage possible," the President said.

Soeharto also reminded military leaders to keep vigilant of
more mass violence because there are interest groups which want
to see more riots rock the republic.

"We are glad that the recent riots did not spread to other
places as their designers had intended. Security apparatuses were
acting wisely," he said.

The latest riot broke out in the Central Java town of
Pekalongan last month. It was triggered by the removal of PPP
flags from the streets to be replaced with Golkar banners by
government officials.

In three days of rioting, 60 shops belonging to ethnic Chinese
were vandalized and looted. Thirty people were arrested.

Meanwhile, Armed Forces (ABRI) chief spokesman Brig. Gen.
Slamet Supriadi said leaders of the Armed Forces had agreed to
secure political stability in the run-up to the election.

"Stability is also needed to guarantee sustainable economic
development," he told journalists.

He said the Armed Forces would closely monitor the activities
of the three political contestants and make sure that the general
election was fair.

"ABRI is determined to protect as well as to make the general
election a success," he said. (pan/imn)