Akbar enjoys life as a content retiree

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Until his recent loss in the contest for the leadership of Golkar party, Akbar Tandjung was considered among the strongest of politicians in the country. Indeed, the man, who was born in a small village in North Sumatra, had been active in politics since youth and had an impressive track record throughout his decades- long political career.

One of his greatest achievements was his ability to protect Golkar against the threat of liquidation during the turbulent reformasi era following the downfall of President Soeharto, the founder of the party. If anything, under his leadership, the party managed to transform itself as a "pro-reform" party and came away the "winner" in the legislative election in 2004.

He is now retired from active politics.

Question: You look younger than your age and your waist is as slim as actress Bella Saphira. How do you manage that?

Answer: I've become more relaxed and have more time to exercise both at home and outside. I no longer have to attend official ceremonies and meetings and I am no longer tied up by protocol and guarded by adjutants. I am now as free as a bird flying wherever I want to go.

After leaving the political stage a few months ago, I have more time for fitness, to watch TV programs, pay informal visits to my brothers and sisters and do many things I could not do in the past. And, more importantly, my wife Krisnina Maharani and I have more time now with our family, especially our four daughters.

All these activities have helped me enjoy my lost life.

Do you do these activities as compensation after your retirement from politics, or are you suffering from a post-power syndrome?

I'm a realistic man ... It has been hectic and sometimes depressing after spending so long on the political stage. I'm seeking no more power or political jobs but silence and leisure time after occupying numerous important positions in mass organizations, Golkar, executive and legislative bodies over the past 35 years of my political career. Now, I do want to enjoy the rest of my life with my family.

Have you completely accepted your defeat in the Golkar congress in April?

The issue is over, but I have made peace with myself to fully accept the undemocratic results of the congress. I have my own reasons to reject the result of the congress election and, later, I decided to accept it for Golkar's good image and national interest.

What I could not accept is not the election of Jusuf Kalla as new leader of Golkar, but the way the election was held. The party's internal rulings on the election were changed in contravention to the party's statutes and he was personally "attacked" by senior party members to unseat me from the party's top post.

What are you doing now?

Like an investigative reporter who is nearing the end of his/her investigation, I am detaching myself from the political game where I conducted my daily activities in the past. All things I obtained during the investigation in the field are laid down on the table for further studies. The investigation materials will be brought to a political laboratory at the newly established Akbar Tandjung Institute to be analyzed and the results will be publicized for everyone to see.

Besides (spending more time with) my family, I am now busy with the institute and its operation and with my PhD program in Yogyakarta.

What study are you conducting in the PhD program?

I am taking a PhD course in political science at Gadja Mada University in Yogyakarta. So, I make regular trips there for classes and consultations with my professors at the university.

Do you really need such a program at your age?

I just need another step to obtain the title after collecting an abundance of political experience and practice in the field. This program also helps me to operate the Akbar Tandjung Institute.

Would you like to explain the institute's vision and mission, please?

The Akbar Tandjung Institute has its main programs to organize and design training programs for party members, freshman legislators and councillors, as well as to conduct research activities and publicize a quarterly Jurnal Politik.

Its curriculum and training schedules for the next two years have been made available already and a number of short-term training courses are underway. It will recruit instructors from universities and relevant institutions to carry out the training programs.

These activities will make you busy and you just said you want to rest and enjoy the rest of your life with your family? Will you comment please?

I could not completely stop working because I have been accustomed to having a rigid daily schedule, but I think it is necessary and important to run such activities to provide a political education for the younger generation. I will continue working for the sake of the nation.

You are a political figure from two different eras: New Order era and Reform era. How did you survive the two eras?

It was a matter of self-adjustment. The New Order was a product of the nation, and not that of a certain individual, in a certain period of time and so is the reform era.

Everyone who was born and raised during the New Order era is required to make a self-adjustment if he/she wants to survive the reform era. As a nationalist, I comply with the law and I did not commit any violations and I was proud of making friends with all politicians from all parties. All the good things done during the New Order era have to be maintained and all bad things, which were no longer suitable with the reform era, were left behind.

We have proven to be able to make a successful adjustment

How did you revamp the Golkar Party, widely-known as the political machine of the New Order regime, to survive the Reform Era?

Following the downfall of former president Soeharto in May, 1998, and the loud calls for the liquidation of Golkar, the then- political grouping initially known as Golongan Karya (Golkar), held an extraordinary congress as it still had a wide network of loyalists nationwide and real political supporters, especially in several regions outside of Java.

At the congress, we decided to launch an internal reform program, and so we changed the political grouping into a political party as it was required by the political laws and elected me as the new leader of Golkar Party until 2003. A number of young and well-trained party members were recruited for the executive board.

In a matter of months, Golkar under my leadership, was prepared with a new political outlook - a new name, new statutes, a new vision and a new platform to show it was reforming and it ready to contend in the 1999 general election.

With the internal reform agenda, Golkar could no longer rely on civil servants and military networks nationwide to maintain its own power base and, we also had to be financially independent.

The louder the calls for Golkar's liquidation, the stronger and more united the party and its members were getting. This proved true when Golkar was found more prepared than most for the 1999 general election, and despite the strong criticism and political pressure for its disbandment, Golkar occupied the second rank after the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) in the elections and won the majority of seats in the 2004 legislative election.

Responding to the mounting demand for Golkar's liquidation because of its bad reputation during the New Order era, former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid requested the Supreme Court to issue a fatwa (edict) on the party's disbandment, but the Court declined to do so after learning that the party had its real supporters and it met all conditions required by the political laws to maintain its existence.

Unlike most party supporters, who have been in hiding following Soeharto's downfall, several senior figures and young cadres were standing in the front row to face the pro-reform movement.

How did you manage the internal reforms and make the adjustment to the reform era?

It was very simple: We had to change our political behavior. Golkar and its functionaries had to remain humble and bow down their heads to earth when they were condemned, while they were reforming themselves. This was a key factor that led Golkar to regain the people's confidence.

Following the extraordinary congress and reform era, Golkar has worked hard to show its strong commitment to the national reform agenda and the development of a true democracy. With the hard work, Golkar has harvested significant fruits in major political events.

Despite the strong demand for Golkar's liquidation, the party finished second after PDI-P in 1999 and won the 2004 legislative election. I think that was an extraordinary performance.

It is very easy to cry for reforms, but it is very difficult to implement them. Many non-governmental organizations, social organizations and new political parties have cried for reforms, but failed to implement. Golkar and its cadres have pushed for reform in phases to repair its badly tarnished image and to appear as a pro-reform party in the reform era.

Golkar has given its own contribution to make a number of laws and establish pro-democracy institutions and agencies to implement regional autonomy and special autonomy in Aceh and Papua, the first-ever direct presidential elections and now direct regional head elections. Golkar is the first-ever party to conduct its own convention to nominate its presidential candidate.

After salvaging Golkar to enter the reform era, how did you save yourself from the Bulog-gate (corruption scandal involving government commodity regulator Bulog)?

I didn't salvage myself. My luck is that the Supreme Court's panel of justices (four of the five) were of the opinion that I was not guilty in the case. The justices and many other people were not sure I was guilty in the Rp 40-billion corruption scandal.

But, if the Supreme Court upheld the district court's decision (guilty verdict), I would have complied with the law to serve the three-year jail sentence. And, thank God, the Supreme Court accepted my appeal.

But, many sides have questioned the court's controversial decision, saying you are more slippery than an eel. What is your comment on that, please?

I don't say that everybody should accept the Supreme Court's final decision and it is my right to gain a fair verdict from the judiciary system.

Would you like to comment on the current situation, please?

Speaking frankly, I am proud of the current Indonesia with all its good performance over the past seven years in the social, political, economic, environmental and security fields. A true democracy is growing nationwide with the implementation of the regional autonomy and the direct regional head elections and direct presidential elections.

But, we should bear in mind that the nation has paid a high price to reach the current situation. A majority of the people are still having trauma, like bloody riots, following Soeharto's resignation, the bloody sectarian conflicts in Central and West Kalimantan, Timor, West Nusa Tenggara, Poso and Ambon that claimed thousands of innocent lives. Thousands of others have been killed in the prolonged secession rebellions in Aceh and Papua.

Despite the significant progress, Indonesia has been challenged to counter security and terrorist threats and to fight against rampant corruption.

The present government has to take concrete action to cope with the security issue and the terrorist threats in efforts to create a feeling of safety among the people and a good investment climate to lure more foreign investors to invest in the country. Besides, the government has to forge cooperation with all interest groups to eliminate the corruption culture and to uncover corruption cases so that justice can be upheld.

Who are your political idols?

I learned much from founding president Sukarno about nationalism and pluralism, from Muhammad Hatta and Muhammad Natsir about rational thinking and on how to be a good politician. I learned much from former president Soeharto about self-control, patience, decision-making processes and conflict management.

Do you have something to share with young politicians?

Young politicians should play an active role in their own political party, mass organizations and other related institutions to win real support both from the party and its supporters. Parties and mass organizations are training fields for politicians to exercise their organizing capacity and to gather political support from their supporters or constituents, especially during the direct regional head and presidential elections and district legislative polls, before they appear on the national political stage.

Young politicians should read many books and learn from senior politicians, well-known figures about their strength and weaknesses how to fight for power as well as to serve the people.

To be a good politician, someone should not think only of power and political jobs but first should undergo training programs in the party and relevant mass organizations to improve their skills in numerous related fields and continually develop their political career.