Golkar admits past mistakes

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.
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