Stop condemning ABRI, PPP pleads

JAKARTA (JP): The United Development Party (PPP) -- whose recent opposition to the allocation of unelected seats in the House of Representatives for the military was thwarted by Golkar and the Armed Forces' (ABRI) House factions -- called for an end to the condemnation of ABRI.

PPP chairman Hamzah Haz said in Semarang, Central Java, on Sunday that ABRI should be given the opportunity to shift its traditional position of favoring certain interests to one which supports the interests of the people.

Speaking after addressing a party rally, Hamzah said ABRI should balance its 38 unelected seats in the House by swearing that it would only exist for the people and democratization.

"(ABRI) should know when to handle crises and unrest. ABRI must be solid," he was quoted by Antara as saying.

PPP fought against the motion by Golkar, the government and the Armed Forces' House factions to grant the military unelected seats in the House, citing public sentiment against such a move.

High-level lobbying among factions forced PPP to agree to a trade-off; it yielded to the 38 unelected seats (rather than the 20 it had demanded) in exchange for a motion promising the neutrality of the bureaucracy.

Meanwhile, Hamzah, who is also the state minister for investment, said PPP eventually would nominate its own presidential candidate. "For now, we're concentrating our energy on the general election ...," he said.

Also attending PPP's rally on Sunday were several party executives, including Maemun Zubair, Alawy Muhammad, Habib Al- Idrus and Nasir Tamara.

The following is a roundup of the activities of a number of political parties over the weekend:

* Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung in Pamekasan, East Java, dismissed suggestions that the newly formed Justice and University Party (PKP), established by a group of Golkar dissenters, would threaten the existence of Golkar.

"PKP is not a serious threat to Golkar because PKP is not based on a clear ideal," he said as quoted by Antara on Sunday.

"PKP was established in an emotional outburst after (PKP chairman) Edi Sudradjat failed (to beat me in the election to become Golkar chairman)," said Akbar, who is also the minister/state secretary.

"Had he been elected then PKP wouldn't have been born," he said, adding he was not afraid to see Golkar members jump ship to other parties.

Akbar also said Golkar would do well in the June 7 elections because of its record of development for the people over the past 30 years.

Separately, Golkar executive Adi Sasono reiterated in Pasuruan, East Java, that he would not campaign for Golkar or any other parties in the election.

Adi, who is also the minister of cooperatives, stood firm in his assertion that he would not entangle his position as a minister by campaigning for political parties.

Otherwise, he said, his campaign to improve the lot of tenant farmers in the form of farming credits could be tarnished by accusations of "money politics".

"I will only campaign for the community in general," he said as quoted by Antara.

* Democratic Islam Party chairman Andi Rasjid Djalil said in Jakarta on Saturday the next president should be a civilian. "It's just that we haven't decided on the most suitable figure," he said as quoted by Antara.

He described the following people as "unsuitable" for the presidency: Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto; politicians Abdurrahman Wahid, Megawati Soekarnoputri, Amien Rais and Yusril Ihza Mahendra; and scholar Nurcholish Madjid. Megawati, he said, would not be accepted because most Indonesians would reject a woman president.

Meanwhile, the Team of Eleven assigned to determine which parties are eligible to contest the polls has only examined 12 out of the 102 registered parties as the verification deadline of March 2 nears.

On Saturday, the last day for party registration, 102 parties had registered at the team's office. At the Ministry of Justice, where parties were first required to sign up before registering with the Team of Eleven, 141 parties had signed up and met the administrative requirements to register with the team.

Team members, scattered across various regencies, have only examined 12 parties so far, Antara reported on Saturday.

The ruling Golkar Party and the People's Democratic Party (PRD) were among those who registered with the team on Saturday.

For decades Golkar refused to declare itself a party, gaining benefit from the membership of millions of civil servants who were not allowed to join political parties. Under the new law on political parties, however, only parties with corporate status are eligible to contest the polls.

The PRD was the first party set up to challenge the three government-sanctioned parties -- the United Development Party, the Indonesian Democratic Party and Golkar.

Former abduction victim Faisol Riza, an executive of PRD, registered the party, Antara reported. (43/har/edt/rms/31/swe)