Disputing Golkar executives attend meeting<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie invited disputing Golkar
\nexecutives to a dinner at his residence in Kuningan, South
\nJakarta, on Sunday in an apparent attempt to stitch up rifts in
\nthe party.<\/p>\n
Several Cabinet ministers, including Minister of Justice\/State
\nSecretary Muladi and Coordinating Minister for Economy, Finance
\nand Industry Ginandjar Kartasasmita, Golkar chairman Akbar
\nTandjung and a number of the party's top brass plus
\nrepresentatives of provincial chapters attended the meeting,
\ndeputy chairman Marzuki Darusman said.<\/p>\n
\"It is a sort of extended executive meeting,\" Marzuki told The
\nJakarta Post.<\/p>\n
But he said the meeting was not \"the right place to settle
\ndisputes within Golkar\".<\/p>\n
Akbar said the gathering also helped Golkar consolidate itself
\nahead of the General Session of the People's Consultative
\nAssembly (MPR).<\/p>\n
\"There is no more hard feeling among us. Everybody is of the
\nsame opinion to make the MPR general session a success for
\nGolkar,\" Akbar said.<\/p>\n
Habibie has been named Golkar's sole presidential candidate.<\/p>\n
The meeting started around 7.30 p.m. West Indonesia Time and
\nfinished just after midnight.<\/p>\n
A split in Golkar became apparent when 12 chairmen of
\nprovincial chapters signed a petition to urge Akbar to hold an
\nextraordinary meeting and take action against Marzuki, who they
\naccused of damaging the party's unity.<\/p>\n
The petition followed the disclosure of a scandal involving
\nBank Bali and Golkar deputy secretary Setya Novanto. Marzuki, who
\nhas repeatedly called for Golkar to reconsider its support of
\nHabibie for the next president, was accused of leaking the
\nscandal.<\/p>\n
Most of the signatories were from Golkar's traditional
\nstrongholds in eastern Indonesia, provinces which gained
\nsubstantial votes for the party in the June elections. The
\nstatement was signed after a meeting at the house of Golkar
\nsenior adviser Arnold Ahmad Baramuli, who also chairs the Supreme
\nAdvisory Council (DPA).<\/p>\n
Baramuli was also present in Sunday's gathering.<\/p>\n
Akbar said Marzuki clarified his stance during the meeting and
\nHabibie could accept it.<\/p>\n
Akbar criticized Baramuli last week for stepping out of his
\ncapacity, and said on Friday four of the signatories had
\nreinstated their allegiance to him.<\/p>\n
Deputy chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
\nKwik Kian Gie has linked the scandal to Habibie's team of
\nstrategists to ensure his victory in the upcoming presidential
\nelection. Kwik refused to identify the team members, but media
\nreports named Baramuli as one of them.<\/p>\n
In Semarang, chairman of Golkar's Central Java chapter Moch.
\nHasbi said he found no adequate reasons for an extraordinary
\ncongress as demanded by 12 of his counterparts.<\/p>\n
\"There is no need to hold such a congress if it's aimed to
\ndismiss Marzuki. It's better for the chairman (Akbar Tanjung) to
\nask Marzuki to clarify his statements which are considered
\nharmful to Golkar,\" Hasbi said on Saturday.<\/p>\n
He said that learning from experiences, the Bank Bali case
\nshould not cause disunity in the party.<\/p>\n
\"Golkar used to be solid under one commander and take a united
\nstance. What currently happens is just a matter of different
\nopinions, thanks to the freedom of speech unfolding in this
\nreform era,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Hasbi suggested that Golkar top executives hold a dialog to
\nsolve the internal dispute.<\/p>\n
Separately, Syafii Ma'arif, chairman of the country's second
\nlargest Muslim organization Muhammadiyah, expressed his
\ndisappointment with Baramuli's alleged involvement in the Bank
\nBali scandal.<\/p>\n
\"Baramuli is a partisan. DPA needs a chairman with
\nstatesmanship, not somebody who is involved in politics and mixes
\nhis job with his political interests,\" Syafii said on Saturday.
\nSyafii is a DPA member.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN) Amien
\nRais said the obvious crack in Golkar would give the \"axis
\nforce\", an alliance of eight Muslim-based parties, an edge in the
\nrace for the presidency.<\/p>\n
\"Internal conflicts within Golkar will open up a possibility
\nfor external support for the axis force. With one of the major
\npolitical powers weakening, the axis force will grow stronger,\"
\nAmien said in Yogyakarta.<\/p>\n
Amien is the initiator of the force and has repeatedly,
\nalthough in a personal capacity, nominated Nahdlatul Ulama
\nchairman and founder of National Awakening Party (PKB)
\nAbdurrahman Wahid for the presidency.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman, widely known as Gus Dur, has accepted his
\nnomination, but said he still favors the presidential bid of
\nIndonesian Democratic Party of Struggle chairwoman Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri. (byg\/prb\/har\/edt)<\/p>",
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