Golkar attacks government policy<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Golkar Party launched a stinging attack on
\nthe government of President Abdurrahman Wahid on Tuesday saying
\nthat inconsistent and controversial policies have pushed the
\nnation closer to the brink of the country's worst
\nmultidimensional crisis.<\/p>\n
In a nationally televised political address at the opening
\nceremony of the party's leadership meeting at the Jakarta
\nConvention Center, Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung said
\nAbdurrahman \"seems to waste his legitimacy by not paying enough
\nattention to economic recovery\".<\/p>\n
\"The nation actually had high expectations that the election
\nof Abdurrahman Wahid as president would bring the country out of
\nthe crisis. But during the course of its journey, this credible
\nand legitimate government has failed to interpret the message
\nthat was mandated by the State Policy Guidelines (GBHN),\" Akbar
\nsaid to the cheers of thousands of Golkar supporters clad in
\nyellow party colors.<\/p>\n
\"The government has issued controversial statements and
\npolicies and these have been prone to instability and political
\nuncertainties that in the end will make the economic recovery
\neven more difficult,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Akbar said that those controversial policies were, among
\nothers, Abdurrahman's plan to revoke a three-decade ban on
\ncommunism and the dismissal of Laksamana Sukardi and Yusuf Kalla
\nin April as investment minister and trade and industry minister
\nrespectively.<\/p>\n
\"The reasons for their dismissal was artificial, superficial,
\ninconsistent and not transparent and this has created
\nuncertainties and made the other Cabinet members feel
\nuncomfortable,\" Akbar said.<\/p>\n
Akbar added that the ongoing violence in a number of provinces
\nwas \"adding fuel to the fire\".<\/p>\n
Gus Dur, as the President is popularly called, has been under
\nmounting pressure to end violent sectarian clashes in the Maluku
\nislands which has killed thousands since it first erupted in
\nJanuary 1999.<\/p>\n
Akbar said that due to the current political and economic
\nuncertainties, the nation \"is now facing the risk of being
\ndragged to the second phase of a severe crisis\".<\/p>\n
\"Like in a long dark tunnel, the nation can now only see a
\nslight ray of hope at the end of it,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Akbar also was critical of the government for trying to create
\na perception that all the troubles are due to conflicts within
\nthe political elite.<\/p>\n
\"What has been more worrying is that there are indications
\nthat certain parties are trying to shift the blame to political
\nparties whereas the real problem is the President's
\ninconsistency,\" Akbar said.<\/p>\n
He also lashed out at the accusations that there had been a
\n\"systematic attempt\" to topple the government.<\/p>\n
\"Political parties are not functioning well if they are not
\ncritical of the government, so it is very surprising if our
\ncriticism is considered as a conspiracy to topple the
\ngovernment,\" Akbar said.<\/p>\n
He said that the accusations were baseless as \"by
\nconstitution, the DPR (House of Representatives) cannot unseat
\nthe President and the President also cannot dissolve DPR\".<\/p>\n
While his address relentlessly censured the shortcomings of
\nAbdurrahman's 9-month old government, Akbar did not touch on the
\nfact that it was the Golkar Party who domineered Indonesian
\npolitics the previous three-decades.<\/p>\n
Akbar's statements came only two days after all 11 factions of
\nthe People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) declared a unified
\nstance to reduce mounting political tensions ahead of the annual
\nsession of the Assembly.<\/p>\n
Political tension has sharpened between the government and the
\nlegislature, as well as between the four top political leaders -
\nAbdurrahman, Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri, Assembly
\nSpeaker Amien Rais and Akbar, who is also speaker of the House.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman is due to appear before the Assembly in August to
\naccount for his turbulent ten-months in office.<\/p>\n
Speculation is rife that the Assembly could try and topple the
\nPresident during the session despite analysts' predictions that
\nthe likelihood of such a move succeeding is small.<\/p>\n
Akbar said on Monday that the session would only serve as \"an
\nearly warning system\" for the President.<\/p>\n
The three-day consolidation meeting is said to be aimed at
\ninternal strengthening and to disseminate the agenda for the
\ncoming Assembly session.<\/p>\n
All current and past Golkar notables, most of whom had at one
\npoint held important government posts, were seen present at
\nTuesday's gathering.<\/p>\n
Also present was Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri.(byg)<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/golkar-attacks-government-policy-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }