Calling Golkar's bluff<\/p>\n
A desperate situation indeed calls for desperate measures, but
\nGolkar has no right to resort to political blackmail in diverting
\nattention from an investigation into allegations of improper
\nbehavior by its chairman, Akbar Tandjung, who also happens to be
\nthe House speaker. As the second largest political party, Golkar
\nhas significant influence on the fate of this country, and that
\nis all the more reason why it should use its power responsibly.<\/p>\n
The House of Representatives is mulling over whether or not to
\ninitiate an inquiry into allegations that Akbar misused funds
\nbelonging to the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) in 1999 when he
\nwas state secretary under President B.J. Habibie. As pressure
\nmounts on the House to set up a special committee to look into
\nwhat is now called Buloggate II, some Golkar officials have
\nresorted to intimidation, alluding to the fact that it could do
\nsignificant damage, not only to other parties or political
\nfigures, but also the rest of the nation.<\/p>\n
Some Golkar officials have planted media stories suggesting
\nthat if the House started the inquiry, Akbar would expose the
\ninvolvement of other, still active political figures who received
\nsome of the Bulog money. The fact that some of the minority
\npolitical parties in the House have supported Golkar in opposing
\nthe inquiry is indicative of the power of the threat.<\/p>\n
Golkar officials have also threatened to call for the House to
\npursue other inquiries into allegations of graft by current and
\npast leaders outside Golkar if other parties pressed ahead with
\ntheir demand for a Buloggate II inquiry.<\/p>\n
Dragging other political leaders into the mud, if they were
\nequally corrupt, would certainly be welcomed as a way of
\neradicating corruption in the nation. But Golkar crossed the line
\nof political propriety when it threatened to withdraw its current
\nsupport for the government of President Megawati Soekarnoputri.<\/p>\n
Some Golkar officials promised a protracted and ugly battle
\nover Buloggate II, not dissimilar from the Buloggate I inquiry,
\nwhich implicated then President Abdurrahman Wahid. That battle
\nensnared the entire nation for over a year to the point that
\neverything else, including efforts at economic recovery and
\nreform, had to be put aside. After more than 12 months, Buloggate
\nI culminated in Abdurrahman's impeachment in July.<\/p>\n
When Megawati took the helm in July, there was a consensus by
\nall the major political parties, including her own Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and Akbar's Golkar,
\nthat she would be allowed to govern with little interference
\nuntil the end of her term in 2004. That consensus was crucial
\nbecause the nation had lost so much ground in terms of economic
\nand political reform during the Buloggate I Affair.<\/p>\n
Going by statements of some Golkar officials, the party is now
\nthreatening to break that consensus as part of its battle in the
\nBuloggate II Affair. As the second-largest faction in the House,
\nGolkar could frustrate the Megawati government's legislative
\nagenda. Even prior to Buloggate II, we saw ample evidence of the
\ndestruction that the House could inflict on the government's
\neconomic program these last three months. With Golkar pulling the
\nrug from under the government, the prospect is even more
\ndaunting.<\/p>\n
While Golkar has officially disowned these acts of
\nintimidation, the systematic way in which they have been made
\nindicates that these were conscious efforts at averting a full
\ninquiry into its chairman. While insisting that the threats did
\nnot represent the official party line, those Golkar officials had
\nthe sanction of their leadership when they made them.<\/p>\n
President Megawati and her PDI Perjuangan should not be cowed
\nby these threats and blackmail. While politics may be the art of
\ncompromise, there are some principles that can never be
\ncompromised.<\/p>\n
First, Megawati's administration has made a strong commitment
\nto the establishment of good governance and clean government, and
\nhence the eradication of corruption. Buloggate II, like Buloggate
\nI, falls into this category and should therefore be pursued. If
\nBuloggate I was about the reputation of the president, the goal
\nof Buloggate II is to establish the credibility and integrity of
\nthe House speaker.<\/p>\n
Second, the Buloggate II inquiry should be started precisely
\nbecause Golkar has resorted to blackmail or threats, to hold the
\nentire nation hostage. Having disowned its dark past and now
\nclaimed the reform mantle, the former ruling party has shown its
\ntrue colors again by resorting to such dirty tricks.<\/p>\n
As a small footnote, it may be worth remembering that Golkar
\nis not solid over the Buloggate II issue, and has seen its share
\nof bitter infighting between different factions within the party.
\nWith the party congress scheduled for next month, there are many
\nwithin Golkar who would like to see Akbar replaced.<\/p>\n
As a matter of principle and considering all things, it would
\ncertainly be worth it to call Golkar's bluff. There are
\nconsequences for the nation for sure, but the stakes are so great
\nfor the nation that PDI Perjuangan, as the largest political
\nparty, should use all its power to push for an inquiry into
\nBuloggate II.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/calling-golkars-bluff-1447893297",
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