Golkar admits past mistakes

JAKARTA (JP): Admitting past political mistakes which led to a centralization of power in one man, the dominant Golkar political grouping's leaders pledged their commitment to reform on Saturday at a meeting to plan new strategies for next year's general election.

Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung asked all Golkar leaders to work hard in preparing and devising new strategies to face the national poll, planned for May next year.

"We must maintain and make use of the organization's strength, its new vision and the (draft) political laws which are under deliberation at the House of Representatives.

"Strategies and operational planning to win the general election should be designed in accordance with political developments and real conditions in the field," he said in the leadership meeting's opening ceremony at the Jakarta Convention Center at the Senayan Sports Complex in South Jakarta.

The three-day meeting is being attended by Golkar's central board members and delegations from chapters and branches from 27 provinces. Also present at the opening ceremony were House Speaker Harmoko, who is also a former Golkar chairman; Deputy House Speaker Abdul Gafur; Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Feisal Tanjung; Minister of Manpower Fahmi Idris; and Minister of Housing Theo Sambuaga.

Also present were Golkar elders, such as former minister of manpower Cosmas Batubara, former minister of transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto and former minister of education and culture Wardiman Djojonegoro.

Akbar said in his speech that Golkar would never be hesitant in carrying out its national political agenda and it would be ready to contest the poll with both the district system and the proportional representation system being applied.

"Golkar is committed to a fair general election in order to establish a democratic government which has won its legitimacy from the people. We must respect and accept whoever comes out as the winner in the general election," he said.

Akbar acknowledged a serious mistake Golkar had made in the past, namely applying a political system devoid of political control which eventually led to the concentration of power in the hands of one man.

"Certainly, we do not want to repeat that mistake," he said.

He did not name any names, but Golkar thrived under former president Soeharto's rule and it became the vehicle for the autocratic ruler to perpetuate his power for decades.

Akbar acknowledged that efforts needed to be made to correct the current situation in which the government dominated the legislative body. Both the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) and the House of Representatives have to be empowered and returned to their original position as stipulated in the 1945 Constitution, he said.

Golkar, which garnered more than 74 percent of the votes in the 1997 elections which critics said were marked with violations, has often been criticized as a champion for the status quo.

On Saturday, however, Akbar said Golkar supported the reform movement and was "active in championing it because it is in line with Golkar's new existence and new vision".

"For Golkar, a total reform is the people's mandate and it is socializing its concept on reform in all fields," he said.

Akbar said Golkar's new vision and reform concept had been also channeled through its representatives in the Assembly.

"The Golkar faction in the MPR has supported a number of draft decrees on political, economic, legal and cultural reform, limitation of presidential terms of office, greater regional autonomy and clean governance," he said.

In the economic field, he said Golkar would continue to develop a people-oriented economic system and would prevent a concentration of the economic resources into a small group of people and companies.

He vowed Golkar would work to uphold the law and provide legal protection and justice for all.

"Golkar must be successful in consolidating the organization ... in defusing the economic crisis," he said.

He also said Golkar was committed to make the national political agenda a success, citing the People's Consultative Assembly's next special session on Nov. 10, the general election in May and the presidential election scheduled for December 1999.

In another part of his speech, Akbar said Golkar refused proposals to change the current unitary state into a federal state. It would lead the opposition to such a proposal, he said.

"Golkar has a clear stance ... it will stand on the front line against any efforts to change Indonesia into a federal state. We do not need an experiment that could tear apart national unity because we would certainly pay a high price for it," he said. (rms)