ABRI unlikely to let go of close Golkar ties: Scholar

ABRI unlikely to let go of close Golkar ties: Scholar

SEMARANG (JP): The Armed Forces (ABRI) will likely retain its
control over Golkar, the dominant political organization which
has channeled most of its political aspirations in the past, a
noted political analyst says.

"Golkar and ABRI are like `two in one'. It's very difficult to
separate the two," Afan Gaffar of Gadjah Mada University said.

Speaking during a seminar to review ABRI-Golkar relations on
Friday, Afan said the stakes for both sides would be too high if
ABRI was to let go of its control over Golkar.

"The demand that ABRI stop nurturing Golkar and let it go by
itself is not realistic," he added.

The ties between Golkar and ABRI became topical once again
after Golkar Chairman Harmoko asserted this month that Golkar is
independent of the Armed Forces' support. What exists is a
historical relationship between the two, with retired officers
and the families of ABRI members all supporting Golkar, said
Harmoko, the first Golkar chairman with no military background.

Harmoko's remarks led to a polemic about how independent
Golkar really is, and whether it could still retain its huge
majority in the 1997 general election without ABRI support.

Some senior members of the Armed Forces cautioned that Golkar
should not take ABRI's support for granted.

Golkar, an Indonesian abbreviation for Functional Group, was
founded in 1964 with the support of the Army to mobilize non-
partisan functional organizations to counter the growing strength
of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) at the time.

The PKI was banned in 1966 for its role in a coup a year
earlier. With the rise of Soeharto, an Army general, to the
presidency in 1967, Golkar's position was also strengthened.

Golkar has won all the five general elections held under
President Soeharto. In the last election, it won 68 percent of
the votes, against 17 percent for the United Development Party
and 15 percent for the Indonesian Democratic Party.

Afan said ABRI and Golkar are mutually supportive. ABRI has
been one of the pillars supporting Golkar and conversely, Golkar
has helped to channel the military's political aspirations.

"If ABRI let go of Golkar, it would be detrimental to Golkar,
though it would be to the good of the democratization process,"
he said.

He noted that in the 1992 elections, ABRI kept a slight
distance from Golkar. The result was reflected in Golkar's lower
vote tally, from 73 percent in 1988 to 68 percent.

But Afan does not, however, feel that the trend will continue.
"I think it is too far fetched to think about Golkar becoming a
truly independent political organization."

Susilo Utomo of Diponegoro University told the seminar that
Golkar could virtually be called the "state party" because it
enjoys the support of the military and the civil service.

Susilo said that although Golkar has been ABRI's political
instrument, the status could change.

ABRI could maintain a safe distance from Golkar and make the
political group more independent, while still expecting it to
look after its political interests.

Or ABRI could maintain equal distance from all three political
groups, he said. (har/emb)