Avoid empty promises: Golkar

JAKARTA (JP): Golkar leaders appealed yesterday to their cadre to refrain from making promises they cannot keep during the campaign for the 1997 general election.

One thousand leaders of the ruling political group wound up their annual conference yesterday, with their sights set on winning the 1997 election honestly with a strong majority.

"I will order all Golkar vote getters not to make promises that are impossible to keep during the campaign," Abdul Gafur, the deputy chairman of the central executive board, told a media briefing at the end of the three-day congress at Hotel Indonesia.

Tonight, Golkar will hold a huge reception to mark its 31st anniversary at the Jakarta Convention Center. A written address by President Soeharto, who is also the chairman of Golkar's board of patrons, will be read out at the reception. During the event, Golkar will also read out a political statement which is expected to touch on the 1997 election.

Gafur acknowledged that a number of promises made by Golkar leaders in the 1992 elections have not yet been fulfilled.

He cited as an example one promise by a Golkar campaigner to establish a water treatment plant in Irian Jaya province. "We are still working to try to fulfill that promise," he said.

The promise was made by then Minister of Finance J.B. Sumarlin who, like most other members of the cabinet, campaigned for Golkar in the 1992 elections.

During the media briefing yesterday, Gafur was accompanied by fellow deputy chairman Waskito Reksosoedirdjo and Sofyan Lubis, who is in charge of the media coverage of the congress.

Regulations

The leadership conference also reviewed steps that Golkar plans to take in the run up to the 1997 election, particularly in relation to changing electoral regulations.

Golkar leaders have announced their intention to push the plan to ban outdoor political rallies, because in the past such rallies had turned rowdy.

Golkar is seeking to restrict election campaigning to debates and indoor publicity events, as well as emphasizing media coverage.

Senior government and military officials have already said they endorse the government's plan.

Waskito explained that Golkar will not support the demands by the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) and the United Development Party (PPP) to insert the words "honest and fair" in the principles governing the carrying out of the election, in addition to the existing phrase "direct, general, free and secret" balloting.

Honest

Waskito explained that the electoral laws already "implicitly" state that elections must be held in an honest and fair manner.

"We cannot give you standard values for honesty and fairness in the general election," Gafur said. "Who can guarantee a noted and admired public figure will always be honest in his sayings and doings?" he asked.

"The most important thing is that we do not have bad intentions in the coming polls," he said.

He pointed out that mistakes are not only made by Golkar, but also by the two other contestants.

Golkar has swept all past five general elections, winning by at least two-thirds of the total votes each time.

Waskito said the leadership conference agreed on the establishment of a committee to ensure election victory for Golkar in 1997.

The leaders will gather again next year to determine Golkar's precise election targets, he added. (imn)