Stop condemning ABRI, PPP pleads

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)