Avoid empty promises: Golkar<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Golkar leaders appealed yesterday to their cadre
\nto refrain from making promises they cannot keep during the
\ncampaign for the 1997 general election.<\/p>\n
One thousand leaders of the ruling political group wound up
\ntheir annual conference yesterday, with their sights set on
\nwinning the 1997 election honestly with a strong majority.<\/p>\n
\"I will order all Golkar vote getters not to make promises
\nthat are impossible to keep during the campaign,\" Abdul Gafur,
\nthe deputy chairman of the central executive board, told a media
\nbriefing at the end of the three-day congress at Hotel Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Tonight, Golkar will hold a huge reception to mark its 31st
\nanniversary at the Jakarta Convention Center. A written address
\nby President Soeharto, who is also the chairman of Golkar's board
\nof patrons, will be read out at the reception. During the event,
\nGolkar will also read out a political statement which is expected
\nto touch on the 1997 election.<\/p>\n
Gafur acknowledged that a number of promises made by Golkar
\nleaders in the 1992 elections have not yet been fulfilled.<\/p>\n
He cited as an example one promise by a Golkar campaigner to
\nestablish a water treatment plant in Irian Jaya province. \"We are
\nstill working to try to fulfill that promise,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The promise was made by then Minister of Finance J.B. Sumarlin
\nwho, like most other members of the cabinet, campaigned for
\nGolkar in the 1992 elections.<\/p>\n
During the media briefing yesterday, Gafur was accompanied by
\nfellow deputy chairman Waskito Reksosoedirdjo and Sofyan Lubis,
\nwho is in charge of the media coverage of the congress.<\/p>\n
Regulations<\/p>\n
The leadership conference also reviewed steps that Golkar
\nplans to take in the run up to the 1997 election, particularly in
\nrelation to changing electoral regulations.<\/p>\n
Golkar leaders have announced their intention to push the plan
\nto ban outdoor political rallies, because in the past such
\nrallies had turned rowdy.<\/p>\n
Golkar is seeking to restrict election campaigning to debates
\nand indoor publicity events, as well as emphasizing media
\ncoverage.<\/p>\n
Senior government and military officials have already said
\nthey endorse the government's plan.<\/p>\n
Waskito explained that Golkar will not support the demands by
\nthe Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) and the United Development
\nParty (PPP) to insert the words \"honest and fair\" in the
\nprinciples governing the carrying out of the election, in
\naddition to the existing phrase \"direct, general, free and
\nsecret\" balloting.<\/p>\n
Honest<\/p>\n
Waskito explained that the electoral laws already \"implicitly\"
\nstate that elections must be held in an honest and fair manner.<\/p>\n
\"We cannot give you standard values for honesty and fairness
\nin the general election,\" Gafur said. \"Who can guarantee a noted
\nand admired public figure will always be honest in his sayings
\nand doings?\" he asked.<\/p>\n
\"The most important thing is that we do not have bad
\nintentions in the coming polls,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He pointed out that mistakes are not only made by Golkar, but
\nalso by the two other contestants.<\/p>\n
Golkar has swept all past five general elections, winning by
\nat least two-thirds of the total votes each time.<\/p>\n
Waskito said the leadership conference agreed on the
\nestablishment of a committee to ensure election victory for
\nGolkar in 1997.<\/p>\n
The leaders will gather again next year to determine Golkar's
\nprecise election targets, he added. (imn)<\/p>",
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