Calling Golkar's bluff

A desperate situation indeed calls for desperate measures, but Golkar has no right to resort to political blackmail in diverting attention from an investigation into allegations of improper behavior by its chairman, Akbar Tandjung, who also happens to be the House speaker. As the second largest political party, Golkar has significant influence on the fate of this country, and that is all the more reason why it should use its power responsibly.

The House of Representatives is mulling over whether or not to initiate an inquiry into allegations that Akbar misused funds belonging to the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) in 1999 when he was state secretary under President B.J. Habibie. As pressure mounts on the House to set up a special committee to look into what is now called Buloggate II, some Golkar officials have resorted to intimidation, alluding to the fact that it could do significant damage, not only to other parties or political figures, but also the rest of the nation.

Some Golkar officials have planted media stories suggesting that if the House started the inquiry, Akbar would expose the involvement of other, still active political figures who received some of the Bulog money. The fact that some of the minority political parties in the House have supported Golkar in opposing the inquiry is indicative of the power of the threat.

Golkar officials have also threatened to call for the House to pursue other inquiries into allegations of graft by current and past leaders outside Golkar if other parties pressed ahead with their demand for a Buloggate II inquiry.

Dragging other political leaders into the mud, if they were equally corrupt, would certainly be welcomed as a way of eradicating corruption in the nation. But Golkar crossed the line of political propriety when it threatened to withdraw its current support for the government of President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Some Golkar officials promised a protracted and ugly battle over Buloggate II, not dissimilar from the Buloggate I inquiry, which implicated then President Abdurrahman Wahid. That battle ensnared the entire nation for over a year to the point that everything else, including efforts at economic recovery and reform, had to be put aside. After more than 12 months, Buloggate I culminated in Abdurrahman's impeachment in July.

When Megawati took the helm in July, there was a consensus by all the major political parties, including her own Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and Akbar's Golkar, that she would be allowed to govern with little interference until the end of her term in 2004. That consensus was crucial because the nation had lost so much ground in terms of economic and political reform during the Buloggate I Affair.

Going by statements of some Golkar officials, the party is now threatening to break that consensus as part of its battle in the Buloggate II Affair. As the second-largest faction in the House, Golkar could frustrate the Megawati government's legislative agenda. Even prior to Buloggate II, we saw ample evidence of the destruction that the House could inflict on the government's economic program these last three months. With Golkar pulling the rug from under the government, the prospect is even more daunting.

While Golkar has officially disowned these acts of intimidation, the systematic way in which they have been made indicates that these were conscious efforts at averting a full inquiry into its chairman. While insisting that the threats did not represent the official party line, those Golkar officials had the sanction of their leadership when they made them.

President Megawati and her PDI Perjuangan should not be cowed by these threats and blackmail. While politics may be the art of compromise, there are some principles that can never be compromised.

First, Megawati's administration has made a strong commitment to the establishment of good governance and clean government, and hence the eradication of corruption. Buloggate II, like Buloggate I, falls into this category and should therefore be pursued. If Buloggate I was about the reputation of the president, the goal of Buloggate II is to establish the credibility and integrity of the House speaker.

Second, the Buloggate II inquiry should be started precisely because Golkar has resorted to blackmail or threats, to hold the entire nation hostage. Having disowned its dark past and now claimed the reform mantle, the former ruling party has shown its true colors again by resorting to such dirty tricks.

As a small footnote, it may be worth remembering that Golkar is not solid over the Buloggate II issue, and has seen its share of bitter infighting between different factions within the party. With the party congress scheduled for next month, there are many within Golkar who would like to see Akbar replaced.

As a matter of principle and considering all things, it would certainly be worth it to call Golkar's bluff. There are consequences for the nation for sure, but the stakes are so great for the nation that PDI Perjuangan, as the largest political party, should use all its power to push for an inquiry into Buloggate II.