Editorials
Friday, July 3, 1998

Ulster church fires
threaten peace process

VIOLENCE has returned to Northern Ireland on schedule, associated with parades that Protestants hold each July in allegiance to William of Orange, the Protestant king who defeated a Catholic monarch in the 17th century. The government prudently banned parades this year and it should not back down, as it has in the past, because of violent reaction to the ban by Protestant militants.

Arsonists targeted Catholic churches in isolated and predominantly Protestant areas between Belfast and Portadown only hours after members of Northern Ireland's fragile new government elected their legislative leaders. David Trimble, the Protestant chosen to lead the assembly, and Seamus Mallon, the moderate Catholic elected deputy leader, vowed to defuse the crisis brewing in the streets. British Prime Minister Tony Blair flew to Belfast to assist.

In 1996, the Ulster government banned the parade by the Orange Order, the main pro-British fraternal group, through the Catholic section of Portadown, south of Belfast, for fear of violence. Protestants responded by rioting for five days, resulting in scores of injuries, the torching of businesses and vehicles and the flight of 30 Catholic families from their homes. The Belfast police chief then lifted the ban, and police dragged away and clubbed Catholics who sought to block the march. The same police measures were used last year to allow the Orangemen to parade, provoking four days of Catholic rioting.

The torching of 10 Catholic churches on a single night, wrecking three of them, has been blamed by police on an outlawed pro-British gang called the Loyalist Volunteer Force. The Orange Order has denounced the church-burnings but is threatening to defy the order banning the march. Orange leaders also were reported to be plotting actions of civil disobedience.

As Protestants and Catholics gather in the new power-sharing assembly, with the Protestant members sharply divided, the church burnings are evidence that the potential for violence in this centuries-old dispute still smolders. Processions that memorialize the religious hatred at the root of Ulster's troubles should be halted while the peace process proceeds.

Heen’s objection

NOW we know. According to state Democratic Party Chairman Walter Heen, the conviction of former House Speaker Daniel Kihano on charges of stealing from his campaign fund, which brought him a sentence of two years in federal prison, was irrelevant to a discussion of alleged campaign violations by the Linda Lingle campaign. Our mention of the Kihano case in connection with the accusations against Lingle, Heen wrote, "bordered on the ridiculous."

Why? Heen, defending his claims that the Lingle campaign had violated the ethics law, explained, in a letter published in the Star-Bulletin yesterday: "My recollection is that, at the time of his violation, Danny Kihano was not an elected official and was not running for office. On the other hand, Lingle is an elected official and is a candidate for the highest office in Hawaii."

True! But Kihano, it should not be necessary to note, collected the money in his campaign fund when he was a candidate for the state Legislature. The fact that he stole the money after leaving office is irrelevant to a discussion of campaign ethics. For Heen to claim otherwise, in his own words, "bordered on the ridiculous."

Lest anyone forget, Kihano was a Democrat -- as speaker of the House he was one of the most powerful figures in state government -- and his conviction is a very large blemish on the record of the Hawaii Democratic Party, which Heen now chairs. No wonder he wants to dismiss any mention of this embarrassment.

The violations by the Lingle campaign involved a fund-raising letter sent to the office of the principal of a public school and newspaper advertisements containing the telephone number of a state legislator's office. Lingle's campaign manager, Bob Awana, acknowledged the violations but said they were unintentional. They were also minor -- certainly by comparison with the charges against Kihano.

If Heen thinks he can make something out of these violations, he is welcome to try, although nobody else seems to be excited about them. Just don't tell us to forget the Kihano case. As campaign violations go, that was as big as they get.

Suharto’s comeback

SUHARTO, the ousted president of Indonesia, is reportedly maneuvering to protect his family's financial empire by shoring up his power base. U.S. intelligence reports say the retired general and his six children are offering to contribute to the election campaigns of legislators loyal to the family. With a fortune in the billions of dollars, they can afford it.

The reports are a warning that the recent demonstrations and riots in Indonesia following the collapse of the economy may fall short of achieving fundamental reforms. Suharto resigned in May and was immediately succeeded by his vice president, B.J. Habibie, a longtime associate and protege. Some critics are not content with this change and are demanding new elections. The former president, who ruled the country for 32 years, went into seclusion after his resignation, but was seen last month accompanying several army generals to prayers in mosques.

Indonesia achieved dramatic economic growth under Suharto, but it was tainted by corruption, with his family and his cronies the chief beneficiaries. If the Suharto clan succeeds in retaining its wealth and power, the efforts of the student protesters who jammed the legislative building in Jakarta demanding reforms will have gone for naught.

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John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher

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Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors

A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor