Harmoko says Golkar open to people's aspirations<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Golkar chairman Harmoko said yesterday the
\npolitical organization would be ready to listen and hold dialogs
\nwith any party willing to contribute opinions to help resolve the
\nmonetary crisis.<\/p>\n
Addressing a media briefing at Golkar's secretariat in Slipi,
\nWest Jakarta, Harmoko said Golkar's commitment was made in
\nresponse to President Soeharto's readiness to listen to even
\nharsh criticism from the people.<\/p>\n
\"Golkar is open for people who are willing to voice their
\naspirations for a crisis settlement,\" he said.<\/p>\n
President Soeharto, in his inauguration address Wednesday,
\ntold members of the People's Consultative Assembly that he needed
\nsupport, criticism and supervision from them in the future.<\/p>\n
\"This criticism constitutes valuable input for the improvement
\nof my government in the coming years,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Harmoko, who is also speaker of the House of Representatives
\nand the Assembly, said Golkar is paying serious attention to a
\nseries of nationwide demonstrations by university students.<\/p>\n
He suggested, however, that the students channel their
\naspirations to the legislative body.<\/p>\n
\"In this case, students should not be reluctant to channel
\ntheir aspirations to the Golkar faction at the House,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He warned the students not to get involved in violent action,
\nas they would be dealt with firmly by the law.<\/p>\n
Chairman of the Golkar House faction, Theo Sambuaga, said
\nGolkar would welcome any student aspirations as long as they were
\nlawful and formal.<\/p>\n
\"Golkar was receiving student delegations up until only a few
\ndays before the Assembly's General Session started,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"Golkar also received a student delegation Thursday, just one
\nday after the Assembly's General Session was over,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Theo said he understood that the students were voicing their
\nconcerns for the unsettled crisis and the skyrocketing prices of
\nbasic commodities.<\/p>\n
\"They yelled for the government's immediate action to settle
\nthe monetary crisis and bring down the prices of basic
\ncommodities,\" he said, \"But they did not go against the result of
\nthe Assembly's General Session.\"<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Association of Indonesian Moslem Intellectuals
\n(ICMI) called on the security apparatus yesterday to positively
\nrespond to President Soeharto's statement.<\/p>\n
\"The security apparatus should not act contradictorily to the
\nPresident's commitment that he would listen to all criticism,\"
\nsaid ICMI's secretary-general Adi Sasono.<\/p>\n
He said that all parties should develop dialogs in response to
\nsuch calls for reforms.<\/p>\n
The calls for reforms should be \"peacefully\" held and should
\navoid destructive action, he remarked.<\/p>\n
Another ICMI official, Marwah Daud Ibrahim, said reforms could
\nnot be hastily implemented but gradually.<\/p>\n
\"We have to be patient if we want to have reforms in the
\ncountry,\" she said \"They cannot be held overnight.\"<\/p>\n
She said that the substance of the students' aspirations for
\nreforms was similar to those of ICMI's.<\/p>\n
\"The only difference is probably on how the reforms should be
\norganized,\" she said. (imn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/harmoko-says-golkar-open-to-peoples-aspirations-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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