Raising funds for Golkar?<\/p>\n
By helping out Dadang Sukandar and Winfried Simatupang -- two
\nGolkar functionaries -- to return Rp 32.5 billion to the state of
\nIndonesia, Akbar Tandjung's supporters are simply acknowledging
\nthat the Rp 40 billion was clearly misused. Habibie said that he
\nordered the funds from the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) to
\nserve the goal of poverty alleviation in some areas of Indonesia
\nin 1999.<\/p>\n
Instead, it was used by well-known Golkar officials to support
\ntheir election campaign in 1999. It is difficult to believe --
\neven for uneducated Indonesians -- that Habibie did not know
\nabout this as Golkar leader.<\/p>\n
That misused money helped Golkar to promote itself and so get
\na 20 percent share in the presidential election, supposedly to
\nbenefit the candidacy of Habibie. Certainly, should the rules
\nallow it, the general elections committee should conclude that
\nGolkar did not act properly during these elections and thus could
\ncertainly be excluded from campaigning again, and Golkar
\nlegislators could maybe be expelled from the legislative bodies.<\/p>\n
In any case, the return of the money does not mean that the
\nmain guilty parties' leaders can be freed. The misuse of funds is
\nstill there and the responsible persons must be punished. If not,
\njustice cannot be said to have been done in Indonesia today. No
\nchange at all then with Soeharto's era, except that the hypocrisy
\nis much greater today.<\/p>\n
YVAN MAGAIN<\/p>\n
Tubize, Belgium<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/raising-funds-for-golkar-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }