Factional strife reflects Golkar's chaotic system'

SEMARANG (JP): Factional strife within the dominant political organization, Golkar, has escalated so much that it can no longer hide it, political observers said yesterday.

In separate interviews with The Jakarta Post, Riswandha Imawan and Susilo Utomo said the bickering may have an adverse, albeit small, impact on Golkar's showing in next year's general election.

"The factional conflicts reflect the chaotic system within Golkar," said Riswandha, a political scholar from Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University.

At present it is difficult to see which alliance or alliances control Golkar because its system is closed, he said.

Internal conflict has shaken MKGR and Kosgoro, two of Golkar's powerful political factions.

The bickering within MKGR was triggered by the refusal of its chief, Mien Sugandhi, to recognize last month's election of Tantyo Sudharmono as chairman of its youth wing.

Mien, who admitted to having her own preference for the disputed post, argued that Tantyo -- son of former vice president Sudharmono -- was elected in a process full of procedural flaws.

The group has agreed to solve the dispute, which made front- page headlines in local newspapers and was brought to President Soeharto's attention, in a "familial dialog" scheduled for Saturday.

Furious Kosgoro officials also had their frustration exposed to the public when they called a media meeting last month to let off steam after only 30 of their leaders were included on Golkar's list of legislative candidates. After the 1992 election, Golkar had 65 Kosgoro politicians in the House of Representatives.

Other Golkar factions like SOKSI and MKGR are also reportedly dismayed by the reduced number of their politicians on Golkar's legislative candidate list.

Riswandha pointed out that the emergence of Army generals with scathing criticism of some of the government's policies is complicating Golkar's problems.

The Army founded Golkar in 1964 to counterbalance the growing influence of the Indonesian Communist Party, which was outlawed for its involvement in the bloody coup attempt in 1965.

"The generals' critical statements are obvious signs of strife within the political elite," he said. He pointed out that some officials gave statements which exposed weaknesses in the bureaucracy.

"Some statements were of so low quality they should not have been made by political players," Riswandha said.

Meanwhile, Susilo Utomo said the surfacing conflicts within Golkar factions have caused the public to wonder what actually is happening within the ruling organization.

"The factional conflicts, such as the one riddling MKGR, will have an insignificant affect on Golkar's performance in the 1997 election," said the scholar from Diponegoro University. (har/pan)