Akbar dismisses calls to dissolve Golkar Party

Akbar dismisses calls to dissolve Golkar Party

JAKARTA (JP): Golkar Party chairman Akbar Tandjung on Tuesday
dismissed calls to dissolve the party saying that it is a lawful
organization and has the right to exist in the country.

"We cannot accept such calls because the Golkar Party is
legitimate and registered with the state gazette.

"We have to respect the law and democracy that we have been
trying to build," Akbar told journalists on Tuesday.

He admitted that Golkar was part of the New Order regime, but
during the reform era, the party has been committed to improve
the party's image and to correct their past mistakes as
supporters of former president Soeharto.

"It's true that Golkar was part of the old regime, but we've
tried to change ourselves and have apologized to the public for
our past mistakes.

"In fact, people still voted for us in the 1999 general
elections," Akbar said.

Calls that Golkar be dissolved have marked political
discourses lately, saying that the party has become the major
obstacle in the reform movement as it is part of the New Order
regime.

The issue came amid the growing tension between President
Abdurrahman Wahid and the House of Representatives over the
investigation into the Rp 35 billion (US$3.9 million) financial
scandal at the State Logistics Agency (Bulog), which allegedly
involved the President.

"We have never tried to obstruct the reform movement, but have
been trying to push for democratization.

"There is no proof at all that we have tried to hamper the
reform movement," Akbar said.

He further said that he considered such calls a character
assassination by certain groups in the country against Golkar
leaders, including himself.

Later on Tuesday, the Golkar executive board held a media
briefing at its headquarters concerning the growing calls for the
party's dissolution.

Golkar deputy chairman Agung Laksono said the calls were
raised in an attempt to divert the public's attention from the
investigation into the Bulog scandal.

"The accusation that Golkar is the obstacle to the reform
movement is baseless," Agung said.

He contended that Golkar had tried to correct itself and
support the reform movement. (dja)