Newly established party won't affect Golkar's votes: Scholar<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): Political scientist Ichlasul Amal said the
\nJustice and Unity Party (PKP) established recently by a group of
\nGolkar dissenters would not steal votes from the dominant
\npolitical organization at next June's general election.<\/p>\n
Ichlasul, who is rector of Gadjah Mada University, said here
\non Wednesday that Golkar's traditional supporters were
\n\"pragmatists\" bound by specific ideologies that did not place
\ngreat importance on who was at their helm.<\/p>\n
\"PKP won't cause a dent in Golkar's vote because where are the
\nmasses that support Pak Siswono or Pak Edi? Especially now that
\nthe two are no longer in office,\" Amal said.<\/p>\n
He was referring to former minister of defense Gen. (ret) Edi
\nSudradjat and former minister of transmigration Siswono
\nYudhohusodo. It was announced on Tuesday that Edi and Siswono are
\nrespectively chairman and deputy chairman of a committee set up
\nto prepare for the official launch of the new party.<\/p>\n
\"Whoever leads Golkar, be it (current chairman) Akbar Tandjung
\nor Edi Sudradjat, does not matter much among Golkar's
\n(traditional) supporters,\" Amal said.<\/p>\n
\"Now if Gus Dur or Pak Amien Rais suddenly abandoned the PKB
\n(the National Awakening Party) or the PAN (the National Mandate
\nParty), we could be sure that many of their followers would also
\njump ship,\" Amal said.<\/p>\n
Gus Dur is the common name for Abdurrahman Wahid, the popular
\nchairman of Nahdlatul Ulama Islamic organization who recently
\nestablished the National Awakening Party chaired by Matori Abdul
\nDjalil.<\/p>\n
Amal said that the establishment of the PKP by around 100
\ndiscontented former members of Golkar indicated the extent of
\ndisharmony among the group's elite.<\/p>\n
Another observer, Rubiyanto Misman from Jenderal Soedirman
\nUniversity in Purwokerto, Central Java, said the establishment of
\nthe PKP was a bitter lesson for \"the arrogant\" Golkar.<\/p>\n
\"It's proof that Golkar... has failed to heed public
\nopinion,\" he said on Wednesday. \"Golkar's leaders should now
\ngracefully accept that a party can't always be on top. It has to
\ngo down at one time or another.\"<\/p>\n
He blamed Akbar's leadership for the group's failure to
\nimprove its image and apologize for past political mistakes under
\nSoeharto's New Order regime.<\/p>\n
\"Golkar will certainly win less votes in the election...
\nThat's a high price to pay for arrogance,\" he said.<\/p>\n
However, Rubiyanto did not believe that the PKP would fare
\nwell in next year's election because its leaders were all members
\nof the establishment during the Soeharto years.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, a note of support for the PKP came from
\nAbdurrahman Wahid himself. \"It's good,\" he said, adding that he
\nknew the new party's officials well.<\/p>\n
Said Aqiel Siradj, a leading Nahdlatul Ulama figure, is
\nincluded in the new party's lineup, but Abdurrahman said that
\nwould not cause any problems.<\/p>\n
\"Said Aqiel is a member of the Justice and Unity Party's board
\nof advisors, not its board of executives, so there is nothing
\nwrong with his involvement in the new party,\" he told reporters
\nat his residence in Ciganjur, South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Said Aqiel is deputy secretary of Syuriah, NU's law-making
\nbody.<\/p>\n
NU's statutes state that NU executives are not allowed to hold
\nexecutive positions in any political parties. (23\/45\/swe\/imn)<\/p>",
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