Akbar slams Baramuli over call for snap congress

Akbar slams Baramuli over call for snap congress

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Long-standing but silent rivalry between Golkar chairman Akbar
Tandjung and the party's patron Achmad Arnold Baramuli rose to
the surface on Wednesday as Akbar accused his foe of campaigning
against his leadership.

Akbar told the press at the House of Representatives building
that he had obtained reports that Baramuli had sent a facsimile
in his personal capacity to 70 of the party's regency-level
branches, soliciting their support for his demand for an
extraordinary congress that might lead to Akbar's ouster.

"The meeting of the party advisory team a few days ago reached
an agreement to rule out the snap congress plan. But Baramuli
personally sent the facsimiles to our branch offices, which
sounded a call for support for an extraordinary congress," Akbar
said.

Akbar's statement came ahead of a meeting between him and a
group of five Golkar patrons, including Baramuli, on Friday, for
a dialog to appease demands to move forward the party congress
from 2004 to 2003.

Baramuli's resentment of Akbar was sparked by Golkar's failure
to win its candidate B.J. Habibie the presidency in 1999, much of
the blame rested with the Golkar chairman.

Akbar said both the party branches and top executives would
not respond to Baramuli's call.

"Everybody has agreed that the congress will take place as
planned in 2004, just after the general election," Akbar said.

Despite the maneuvering that has endangered his leadership,
Akbar said he would not take action against Baramuli.

Akbar said he had written to all Golkar patrons to ask them to
adhere to their role as advisors who did not wield power. "We are
asking the patrons to be in conformity with us," he said.

He had previously expressed confidence that he would remain
party chairman until his term expired in 2004, thanks to support
from all Golkar's 30 provincial chapters.

The dialog involving Akbar and five of the party's patrons
grouped in the so-named Golkar 'salvation council' was to take
place at the party's headquarters in Slipi, West Jakarta.

Council members and two top party executives held talks on
Monday, where they agreed to formalize the council but limited
its authority to advisory functions only. Former manpower
minister and Golkar patron Cosmas Batubara was named the
council's chairman and the party's deputy secretary-general,
Bomer Pasaribu, its secretary.

Demands for a snap congress have been widespread since Akbar,
who is House Speaker, was implicated in a Rp 40 billion scam
involving State Logistics Agency (Bulog) funds.

Cosmas, former justice minister Muladi, former Supreme
Advisory Council chief Baramuli and senior party members
Suhardiman and Pinantun Hutasoit founded the council last
Thursday out of concern that Akbar's case would endanger Golkar
as an institution.

A snap congress requires support from two thirds of the
party's regency branches, according to the party's statutes.

Golkar legislator Rambe Kamarulzaman had earlier urged the
senior members to help both the party and Akbar emerge from the
crisis.

"They must help both Golkar and Akbar. The fate of Akbar can't
be separated from efforts to save the party," Rambe told The
Jakarta Post.

He said the five senior members would have to prove they were
not advancing their own political ambitions by moving to the
rescue of both Golkar and Akbar.

"Well, I hope they can help. If they can't extend a helping
hand, I don't think there is a need to form a salvation team,"
Rambe added.

He emphasized that the calls for an extraordinary congress did
not represent the collective opinion of Golkar's patrons, but the
personal opinion of members of the group.