Disputing Golkar executives attend meeting

Disputing Golkar executives attend meeting

JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie invited disputing Golkar
executives to a dinner at his residence in Kuningan, South
Jakarta, on Sunday in an apparent attempt to stitch up rifts in
the party.

Several Cabinet ministers, including Minister of Justice/State
Secretary Muladi and Coordinating Minister for Economy, Finance
and Industry Ginandjar Kartasasmita, Golkar chairman Akbar
Tandjung and a number of the party's top brass plus
representatives of provincial chapters attended the meeting,
deputy chairman Marzuki Darusman said.

"It is a sort of extended executive meeting," Marzuki told The
Jakarta Post.

But he said the meeting was not "the right place to settle
disputes within Golkar".

Akbar said the gathering also helped Golkar consolidate itself
ahead of the General Session of the People's Consultative
Assembly (MPR).

"There is no more hard feeling among us. Everybody is of the
same opinion to make the MPR general session a success for
Golkar," Akbar said.

Habibie has been named Golkar's sole presidential candidate.

The meeting started around 7.30 p.m. West Indonesia Time and
finished just after midnight.

A split in Golkar became apparent when 12 chairmen of
provincial chapters signed a petition to urge Akbar to hold an
extraordinary meeting and take action against Marzuki, who they
accused of damaging the party's unity.

The petition followed the disclosure of a scandal involving
Bank Bali and Golkar deputy secretary Setya Novanto. Marzuki, who
has repeatedly called for Golkar to reconsider its support of
Habibie for the next president, was accused of leaking the
scandal.

Most of the signatories were from Golkar's traditional
strongholds in eastern Indonesia, provinces which gained
substantial votes for the party in the June elections. The
statement was signed after a meeting at the house of Golkar
senior adviser Arnold Ahmad Baramuli, who also chairs the Supreme
Advisory Council (DPA).

Baramuli was also present in Sunday's gathering.

Akbar said Marzuki clarified his stance during the meeting and
Habibie could accept it.

Akbar criticized Baramuli last week for stepping out of his
capacity, and said on Friday four of the signatories had
reinstated their allegiance to him.

Deputy chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
Kwik Kian Gie has linked the scandal to Habibie's team of
strategists to ensure his victory in the upcoming presidential
election. Kwik refused to identify the team members, but media
reports named Baramuli as one of them.

In Semarang, chairman of Golkar's Central Java chapter Moch.
Hasbi said he found no adequate reasons for an extraordinary
congress as demanded by 12 of his counterparts.

"There is no need to hold such a congress if it's aimed to
dismiss Marzuki. It's better for the chairman (Akbar Tanjung) to
ask Marzuki to clarify his statements which are considered
harmful to Golkar," Hasbi said on Saturday.

He said that learning from experiences, the Bank Bali case
should not cause disunity in the party.

"Golkar used to be solid under one commander and take a united
stance. What currently happens is just a matter of different
opinions, thanks to the freedom of speech unfolding in this
reform era," he said.

Hasbi suggested that Golkar top executives hold a dialog to
solve the internal dispute.

Separately, Syafii Ma'arif, chairman of the country's second
largest Muslim organization Muhammadiyah, expressed his
disappointment with Baramuli's alleged involvement in the Bank
Bali scandal.

"Baramuli is a partisan. DPA needs a chairman with
statesmanship, not somebody who is involved in politics and mixes
his job with his political interests," Syafii said on Saturday.
Syafii is a DPA member.

Meanwhile, chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN) Amien
Rais said the obvious crack in Golkar would give the "axis
force", an alliance of eight Muslim-based parties, an edge in the
race for the presidency.

"Internal conflicts within Golkar will open up a possibility
for external support for the axis force. With one of the major
political powers weakening, the axis force will grow stronger,"
Amien said in Yogyakarta.

Amien is the initiator of the force and has repeatedly,
although in a personal capacity, nominated Nahdlatul Ulama
chairman and founder of National Awakening Party (PKB)
Abdurrahman Wahid for the presidency.

Abdurrahman, widely known as Gus Dur, has accepted his
nomination, but said he still favors the presidential bid of
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle chairwoman Megawati
Soekarnoputri. (byg/prb/har/edt)