Who is Golkar fooling?<\/p>\n
When Nurcholish Madjid announced last week that he was
\nwithdrawing from the Golkar convention that will be held to
\nselect its presidential candidate, he was not the only one who
\nfelt disgusted at the country's second largest party. When Golkar
\nchairman Akbar Tandjung decided that he too would run for the
\nnomination, he effectively killed the democratic character of the
\nconvention.<\/p>\n
Given his power over the party's regional chapters, and to a
\nlesser extent the central executive board, the outcome of the
\nconvention, slated to take place in February, is almost a
\nforegone conclusion. Akbar's action has reduced the significance
\nand value that the convention might otherwise have had for the
\ndevelopment of democracy in this country.<\/p>\n
A legacy of the repressive Soeharto regime, Golkar has tried
\nhard to project itself as a reformed and even a democratic party.
\nSo much so that it managed to come second in the 1999 general
\nelection. But from the way Akbar has handled the convention, we
\ncan see that some things never change in Golkar. And one of these
\nis its practice of the politics of deception, which enabled it to
\nmaintain its power for 32 years, with the help of its chief
\npatron Soeharto, of course.<\/p>\n
The Golkar convention has now become a mere formality. If and
\nwhen he is officially nominated as the party's presidential
\ncandidate in February, it will not be seen as a vote of
\nconfidence in Akbar's leadership of the party. Rather, it will be
\nwidely perceived as another display of the power and influence he
\nwields within the party as it gears itself up for the general
\nelection in April and the presidential election in the middle of
\n2004.<\/p>\n
Nurcholish, a respected Muslim scholar, was right to pull out
\nof the convention.<\/p>\n
Given his untainted reputation and image, Nurcholish's
\nparticipation would have lent credence to Golkar, something he
\nwas prepared to give when he still believed that the party meant
\nwell in opening up the presidential nomination process to
\neveryone. Even many of his supporters and friends acknowledged
\nthat one way for Nurcholish to attain the presidency would be to
\ncontest the Golkar nomination through the convention.<\/p>\n
Had he been selected by the convention -- and there was some
\nreal support for him within the party -- it would have been a
\nmarriage of convenience, or even an unholy alliance. Nurcholish,
\na public figure of strong moral stature, would have lent
\nrespectability to Golkar, which is still beset by the political
\nbaggage of its past. In return, Golkar, likely to be one of the
\nlargest political parties in 2004, would have helped him clinch
\nthe presidency.<\/p>\n
Many people, including Nurcholish, gave the benefit of the
\ndoubt to Golkar when it announced early this year that it was
\nopening up its presidential nomination process through the
\nholding of a national convention. Most of the other big parties
\nautomatically nominated their chairpersons. But with Akbar still
\nembroiled in a corruption scandal, it would have been difficult
\nfor Golkar to nominate him directly without undermining its own
\nelectoral chances.<\/p>\n
Naturally, the prospect of the presidency is very alluring for
\nanyone with an interest in the future of this country. And yet,
\nhere is the country's second largest political party desperately
\nsearching for a credible presidential candidate because it cannot
\nfind one within its own ranks.<\/p>\n
Hence, when the convention process officially began last
\nmonth, Nurcholish decided to run, as did more than a dozen
\nothers, including a number of discredited figures from the
\nSoeharto regime. That was how open the convention was. There was
\na genuine belief that Golkar was sincere in opening up its
\nselection process. Nurcholish was certainly participating with
\nthe understanding that Akbar, as the party chairman, would stay
\nout of the fray.<\/p>\n
With Akbar now having decided to run, there is no real
\ncontest. We have seen how Akbar, even at the height of the
\ncorruption scandal last year, managed to rally the support of the
\nmajority of the regional chapters against attempts to remove him
\nfrom the chairmanship.<\/p>\n
Now, despite having been convicted by the district court for
\ncorruption, a conviction upheld by the high court, he still
\ncontrols the regional chapters. And with these chapters holding
\nthe power to select the presidential candidate at the Golkar
\nconvention, there is no question that most, if not all, will vote
\nfor the party chairman.<\/p>\n
There is no real point in holding the Golkar convention any
\nmore. Nurcholish was right to withdraw and we wish him success in
\nfinding another vehicle on which to ride to the presidential
\npalace.<\/p>\n
The Golkar convention is nothing but a ploy. It is another
\nexample of the Machiavellian politics that Golkar has excelled at
\nfor more than three decades. But, the question is, who is Golkar
\nreally deceiving this time?<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/who-is-golkar-fooling-1447893297",
"image": ""
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