Golkar admits past mistakes<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Admitting past political mistakes which led to a
\ncentralization of power in one man, the dominant Golkar political
\ngrouping's leaders pledged their commitment to reform on Saturday
\nat a meeting to plan new strategies for next year's general
\nelection.<\/p>\n
Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung asked all Golkar leaders to
\nwork hard in preparing and devising new strategies to face the
\nnational poll, planned for May next year.<\/p>\n
\"We must maintain and make use of the organization's strength,
\nits new vision and the (draft) political laws which are under
\ndeliberation at the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
\"Strategies and operational planning to win the general
\nelection should be designed in accordance with political
\ndevelopments and real conditions in the field,\" he said in the
\nleadership meeting's opening ceremony at the Jakarta Convention
\nCenter at the Senayan Sports Complex in South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The three-day meeting is being attended by Golkar's central
\nboard members and delegations from chapters and branches from 27
\nprovinces. Also present at the opening ceremony were House
\nSpeaker Harmoko, who is also a former Golkar chairman; Deputy
\nHouse Speaker Abdul Gafur; Coordinating Minister for Political
\nand Security Affairs Feisal Tanjung; Minister of Manpower Fahmi
\nIdris; and Minister of Housing Theo Sambuaga.<\/p>\n
Also present were Golkar elders, such as former minister of
\nmanpower Cosmas Batubara, former minister of transportation
\nHaryanto Dhanutirto and former minister of education and culture
\nWardiman Djojonegoro.<\/p>\n
Akbar said in his speech that Golkar would never be hesitant
\nin carrying out its national political agenda and it would be
\nready to contest the poll with both the district system and the
\nproportional representation system being applied.<\/p>\n
\"Golkar is committed to a fair general election in order to
\nestablish a democratic government which has won its legitimacy
\nfrom the people. We must respect and accept whoever comes out as
\nthe winner in the general election,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Akbar acknowledged a serious mistake Golkar had made in the
\npast, namely applying a political system devoid of political
\ncontrol which eventually led to the concentration of power in the
\nhands of one man.<\/p>\n
\"Certainly, we do not want to repeat that mistake,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He did not name any names, but Golkar thrived under former
\npresident Soeharto's rule and it became the vehicle for the
\nautocratic ruler to perpetuate his power for decades.<\/p>\n
Akbar acknowledged that efforts needed to be made to correct
\nthe current situation in which the government dominated the
\nlegislative body. Both the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR)
\nand the House of Representatives have to be empowered and
\nreturned to their original position as stipulated in the 1945
\nConstitution, he said.<\/p>\n
Golkar, which garnered more than 74 percent of the votes in
\nthe 1997 elections which critics said were marked with
\nviolations, has often been criticized as a champion for the
\nstatus quo.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, however, Akbar said Golkar supported the reform
\nmovement and was \"active in championing it because it is in line
\nwith Golkar's new existence and new vision\".<\/p>\n
\"For Golkar, a total reform is the people's mandate and it is
\nsocializing its concept on reform in all fields,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Akbar said Golkar's new vision and reform concept had been
\nalso channeled through its representatives in the Assembly.<\/p>\n
\"The Golkar faction in the MPR has supported a number of draft
\ndecrees on political, economic, legal and cultural reform,
\nlimitation of presidential terms of office, greater regional
\nautonomy and clean governance,\" he said.<\/p>\n
In the economic field, he said Golkar would continue to
\ndevelop a people-oriented economic system and would prevent a
\nconcentration of the economic resources into a small group of
\npeople and companies.<\/p>\n
He vowed Golkar would work to uphold the law and provide legal
\nprotection and justice for all.<\/p>\n
\"Golkar must be successful in consolidating the
\norganization ... in defusing the economic crisis,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He also said Golkar was committed to make the national
\npolitical agenda a success, citing the People's Consultative
\nAssembly's next special session on Nov. 10, the general election
\nin May and the presidential election scheduled for December 1999.<\/p>\n
In another part of his speech, Akbar said Golkar refused
\nproposals to change the current unitary state into a federal
\nstate. It would lead the opposition to such a proposal, he said.<\/p>\n
\"Golkar has a clear stance ... it will stand on the front line
\nagainst any efforts to change Indonesia into a federal state. We
\ndo not need an experiment that could tear apart national unity
\nbecause we would certainly pay a high price for it,\" he said.
\n(rms)<\/p>",
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