Teachers' Golkar move gets cool response

Teachers' Golkar move gets cool response

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Teachers Association's (PGRI)
recent reassertion of political loyalty to Golkar has received
cool responses from two respected observers.

Arbi Sanit and Arief Budiman told The Jakarta Post over the
weekend the endorsement was logical because the association has
been affiliated to Golkar from the outset.

They said association members are civil servants and therefore
subject to being politically and economically "squeezed" if they
fail to openly swing their support behind Golkar.

Arbi Sanit, a political scholar from the University of
Indonesia, said the state has undemocratically coopted teachers
politically and economically.

Teachers are required to join the Indonesian Civil Servants
Corps (Korpri), and civil servants have to vote for Golkar, he
said.

Korpri teachers are paid by the state and therefore reliant on
the government for their careers. They are politically controlled
by the government, he said.

Association chairman Basyuni Suriamiharja said last Friday
PGRI members did not have to vote Golkar.

"They are free to vote for any political organization they
like," he said.

The 1,5 million-strong PGRI is the only recognized association
for Indonesian teachers.

Arbi said Basyuni was merely talking political jargon. "It was
a lie," he said.

He said many teachers complain that they work hard but have
compulsory deductions of their salaries, are paid late and have
slow career advancement.

Basyuni knows that only too well, but he is worried about
teachers' living conditions and he needs to repeat his call for
association members to vote for Golkar, Arbi said.

The association has endorsed Golkar in all five general
elections since 1971.

Arbi said it was ironic that Golkar was doing little to defend
the interests of teachers.

Separately, Salatiga-based sociologist Arief Budiman told the
Post there is nothing odd about association members voting Golkar
in the upcoming general election.

Arief said the association is under pressure from the
government to support Golkar.

Some other organizations, notably those affiliated to Golkar,
have been made to demonstrate their allegiance to the New Order
government, he said.

On Oct. 1 an estimated 50,000 members of Muhammadiyah Moslem
organization staged a rally in support of the New Order
government.

The youth organization Pemuda Pancasila joined a rally in
Jakarta on Oct. 19 commemorating the 32nd anniversary of Golkar
and reaffirmed their support for Golkar.

No single organization dares demonstrate opposition to the
government, he said.

"Obviously there is indirect pressure on organizations. It
shows our political condition is unhealthy," Arif said.

By calling on members to vote Golkar in next general election,
the teachers association is engaging in politics, Arief said.

He said that as a professional organization, the PGRI should
not engage in politics. But since there is pressure to do so,
there is no single professional organization that is not involved
in politics. (03)