Golkar's sins<\/p>\n
Top functionaries of (the ruling party) Golkar assembled at
\nLembang, near Bandung, on Saturday, said the current reform tide
\nhad brought home to them the fact that they had not been doing
\nthings right. Thus the resolve was born among them that Golkar
\nhad to be totally reformed, and that it could no longer be a mere
\npolitical engine to provide legitimacy for those in power while
\nallowing itself to become alienated from the people due to
\ncorruption, collusion and nepotism in all kinds of spheres.<\/p>\n
This is the first admission of culpability coming from Golkar
\nsince the organization was set up -- known initially as Sekber
\nGolkar in the 1960s. In its heyday, Golkar dominated the
\nIndonesian political scene without rival. This enabled it to
\nattain single majority status in every national and regional
\nlegislature in the country -- a status which it has been able to
\nmaintain up to the present, even when it is regarded to be in a
\nseriously impaired condition.<\/p>\n
The \"floating mass\" concept has been one of the means employed
\nby Golkar to ensure an absolute victory in each and every general
\nelection. While other sociopolitical organizations were
\nprohibited from operating at the lowest levels of the community,
\ncivilian administrative and military officials on those levels
\nwere without exception Golkar functionaries.<\/p>\n
It is a common secret that every neighborhood community leader
\nwas expected to meet a target of at least 10 Golkar votes during
\nelections. We also should not be surprised at the fact that
\nteachers or public servants could cast their votes twice -- once
\nat their workplace and a second time in their own respective
\nneighborhood. It is also no secret that in the past real victims
\ncould fall in simulated election drills if a civil servant failed
\nto vote for Golkar. This led to discriminative practices in all
\nfields of public life. For three decades, not a single member of
\nanother sociopolitical organization has occupied a government
\npost. A string of other examples could be mentioned of ways to
\nensure a victory for the ruling party.<\/p>\n
Golkar does indeed need to totally reform itself and abandon
\nits old manipulative and deceptive ways. It must have the courage
\nto admit its sins in order to keep itself from straying too far
\nfrom the ideas and the vision that initially led to its creation
\nif it is to continue to exist in the future.<\/p>\n
-- Republika, Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/golkars-sins-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }