---------------------------------------------------------- Visit Indonesia Daily News Online HomePage: http://www.indo-news.com/ Please Visit Our Sponsor http://www.indo-news.com/cgi-bin/ads1 ++ Pemilu Online: http://www.indo-news.com/pemilu/ ++ ---------------------------------------------------------- The Straits Times, JUN 17 1999 Voters in Indonesia politically mature: PM Goh By CHUA LEE HOONG IN SEOUL THE Indonesians have shown themselves to be a politically mature people with the smooth conduct of their general election, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong said yesterday. They wanted change, and they had sought to bring it about in a peaceful manner through the election mechanism. "They have impressed the international community," he said at a press conference here. He hoped that peace would be sustained after the results came out. As for his prognosis of the results, he said it was too early to predict the kind of coalition or government that would emerge. "Let us all wait patiently. It's only a few more days," he said. Vote-counting in the Indonesian election, held last Monday, has been lambasted by many as glacial. As of yesterday, about 40 per cent of the votes had been counted. On the forthcoming Malaysian elections, he said he had "better not comment". No one knew who would be contesting, and on what issues, yet, he said. "One thing is sure though: It will be interesting," he noted. As for bilateral negotiations, Mr Goh said that Singapore was prepared for a protracted process. The talks, on since last year, cover water supply and Malayan Railway land, among other issues. At a meeting in Hanoi last December, the prime ministers of both countries had agreed that they would be negotiated as part of a package which included Clob shares. Earlier this month, while in Argentina, Mr Goh had said that it was an "all-or-nothing" kind of package. This came in the wake of remarks by Malaysian leaders that Clob was a private-sector issue. Yesterday, he noted that both sides had exchanged position papers, and while the gaps had narrowed on some issues, they had widened on others. The Malayan Railway land issue, he said, had achieved greater agreement, whereas the latest Malaysian position on water supply fell short of that given by Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad at the end of last year. Malaysia is offering less water for sale to Singapore, arguing that its domestic needs are more important. Officials from both countries have met three times in the past year. Mr Goh foresaw at least another "two to three" rounds before there was a reasonable matching of demands. "But we'll keep on talking," he said. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 18 Jun 1999 jam 10:51:23 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
