Golkar's dissolution legally unacceptable<\/p>\n
MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi (JP): There is no legal basis for any
\npower in this country to disband the Golkar Party, despite
\nmounting demands for the party's dissolution, prominent lawyer
\nTodung Mulya Lubis said here on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\"Whatever the reason to disband Golkar, which ruled the
\ncountry for more than 30 years, it would be unfair and would kill
\nGolkar's political rights,\" he said on the sidelines of a one-day
\npublic discussion on political structure and the future elections
\norganized by the Makassar Polling Centre and the Centre for
\nElectoral Reform (Cetro).<\/p>\n
\"The 1945 Constitution guarantees the citizens' right to
\ngather and establish organizations or unions,\" he said.<\/p>\n
According to Todung, demands for the dissolution of Golkar
\nhave come too late. \"Golkar legally joined the 1999 elections and
\nhave been participating in the current administration. So it
\nwould be very unfair to eliminate Golkar's political rights.
\nDissolving Golkar should have been conducted during the
\ntransitional government under president B.J. Habibie. It's too
\nlate now.\"<\/p>\n
\"The mounting demands for the party's dissolution does not
\nmean that the party must be dissolved. The party has the right to
\nexist based on the Political Party Law No. 39\/1999. So it is a
\nviolation of the law to use force to disband Golkar,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"Despite its legal existence Golkar has been challenged to
\nintrospect and purify itself from any elements which carry New
\nOrder sins. Golkar retains political sins it committed in the
\npast,\" he said. \"It's time for Golkar to revitalize and make
\ncorrections.\"<\/p>\n
Anti-Golkar sentiment has been mounting in several regions,
\ninitiated by the vandalism of Golkar offices in Surabaya and
\nother towns in East Java last month.<\/p>\n
Most anti-Golkar rallies and vandalism of the party's assets
\nwere organized by those claiming to be supporters of President
\nAbdurrahman Wahid.<\/p>\n
Asked about the possibility of accelerating general elections
\nto unseat the President, Todung said that it was the political
\nparty which won the 1999 election that should take the initiative
\nfor such a move.<\/p>\n
\"Does the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
\nPerjuangan) have the political calculation to seek ways to hasten
\nthe elections? We had early elections when Habibie was the
\npresident. But the election was manifested through the People's
\nConsultative Assembly (MPR) special session.\"<\/p>\n
He warned, however, that if the special session was held, it
\nshould not be used as a stepping stone for holding elections.<\/p>\n
\"The special session is held as a follow-up to the financial
\nscandals in which the President was allegedly involved. In short,
\nhastening the elections will be impossible.\" (27\/sur)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/golkars-dissolution-legally-unacceptable-1447893297",
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