Some questions remain

When President B. J. Habibie signed a regulation clarifying the political status of civil servants on Tuesday, the government appeared satisfied that the drawn out controversy over the matter was at an end. However, many questions remain.

The special regulation became necessary after the House of Representatives became irreconcilably divided over the issue. Golkar, the dominant faction in the House and the lynchpin of former president Soeharto's regime, was suspected of playing a devious game and accused of trying to preserve its influence over civil servants to serve its own ends.

The government regulation aims to create a politically neutral bureaucracy and thus placate fears that bureaucrats will work to undermine the June general election. Opposition parties have long campaigned for a neutral bureaucracy, which is essential in any democratic society. They point out that throughout former president Soeharto's 32-year rule, civil servants were used as pawns in his dirty political games. During this period, the bureaucracy ceased to serve the public and the nation slid into the darkest period of its modern history.

Now that it has been issued, the government must act to show that the regulation is capable of upholding the high minded idea of neutrality. Worryingly, close examination of the regulation reveals an ambiguously drafted, loose piece of legislation which if left unclarified will leave the public more confused than ever.

It stipulates that civil servants who intend to retain their membership of political parties or undertake political activities will lose their structural posts in the government but will retain their status as civil servants. The regulation applies to all civil servants, including directors general, lecturers and clerks of court. Since they can be reinstated after they cease to be politically active, it is likely that senior members of the bureaucracy who leave to pursue their own political agendas will retain an ample degree of influence over their former subordinates and colleagues.

The reality is that many civil servants hold key positions in Golkar, while the other political parties have only very insignificant ties to the bureaucracy. The regulation will thus present Golkar with an unfair advantage at the general election and allow the ruling grouping to benefit from its recent trickery.

Another clause from which Golkar stands to benefit is one stating that all civil servants holding positions in political parties (read Golkar) should report their involvement in politics within three months of the regulation taking effect. May falls three months from now and one month before the general election. What games Golkar can play with words. And these are but a few examples.

The general public wanted the country's independent political parties and reform-minded activists to keep a close watch on Golkar and the government during deliberation of the political bills. The bills set out the rules for the general election, and many observers feared the establishment would use its remaining influence to stack the election cards in its favor.

Unfortunately, the new political parties let the moment pass with little more than a whimper, and only Amien Rais, the chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN), has shown any serious concern about the matter. This spineless show by the nation's new political parties may yet have serious repercussions for the country, but only when it is too late will the error of their recent lethargy become apparent.

The public will reject another rigged poll. They have had the wool pulled over their eyes since 1970 and they are tired of it. Their reaction to yet another brazen insult to their intelligence will push the nation into unimaginable chaos.