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)