Golkar and ABRI committed to reform

JAKARTA (JP): The powerful Golkar and Armed Forces factions in the People's Consultative Assembly committed themselves yesterday to political reform, but agreed to opt for a slow pace of change.

"Golkar is ready to (introduce) reform now that the people are ready... (but not) revolutionary reform (which) changes the political structures," said Nazaruddin Syamsudin of Golkar in a media briefing.

His colleague Rully Chairul Azwar promised in the same briefing that the ruling organization would actively bring about political reform in the next five years of development. "But we want gradual reform," he stressed.

"The Armed Forces (ABRI) supports (those seeking) reform but won't tolerate any campaigns for drastic political reform... because of the high risk that it will destroy the nation," ABRI faction chief Lt. Gen. Yunus Yosfiah said separately.

Lt. Gen. Hari Sabarno, the leader of the ABRI faction in the House of Representatives, concurred. "ABRI rejects radical political reform because it may change the order of the nation, which is (focused) on development," he said.

The General Session began amid growing calls for economic and political reforms voiced by many groups in society. Intellectuals and students have been at the forefront of those making the calls, staging a series of demonstrations to express their concern over the economic crisis and to demand reform.

The Moslem-based United Development Party (PPP) faction made a reference Wednesday to the need for political reform in its overview of President Soeharto's accountability speech delivered Sunday. The party specifically wanted to see the laws that regulate the country's political life amended.

Some of the student protesters have defined reform as the abolition of some political laws that allegedly curtail the rights of certain social and political organizations -- a campaign which Golkar has resisted. Others have spelled out reforms as limiting the presidential term of office, or simply as having a new president.

Rully said Golkar was committed to giving more opportunities to its two political rivals -- PPP and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) -- to be involved in the organization of the 2002 general election.

For instance, Golkar plans to involve PPP and PDI officers in voter registration committees and during ballot counting. This would be a change to the practices of previous elections that benefited Golkar at the expense of the two small parties.

Nazaruddin, a staff lecturer at the University of Indonesia's School of Social and Political Sciences, said there should be no question about Golkar's commitment to reform.

"Do not look at Golkar with suspicion... we are now led by young leaders and they are committed to political reform," he said.

He defined political reform as fundamental change in the political structures and functions, "so it may be said to be almost a revolution."

Nazarudin evaded further questions about the kind of reforms that he believed would be implemented by Golkar.

Hari Sabarno said that the political reform that PPP had sought in its statement Wednesday referred more to "cultural reform, a change in the political ethics and culture," rather than structural change.

He questioned whether the country, at its current stage of democracy, would benefit should PPP's demands be met.

Another Golkar member, Gunawan Sumodiningrat, rejected the PPP and PDI suggestion that the economic crisis and efforts to settle it be included in the draft of the State Policy Guidelines currently under deliberation. The document is drawn up by Golkar.

"The economic crisis is too technical a matter (so cannot be included in) the State Policy Guidelines which only contain guidance on policies," he said.

Before the General Session opened Assembly Deputy Speaker Abdul Gafur of Golkar said the State Policy Guidelines draft did not need to be changed because all of the material in it had been officially submitted to the Assembly leadership for discussion in its own sessions.

Nazaruddin, however, said yesterday that the draft policy guidelines did implicitly touch upon the monetary crisis in a section which addressed globalization.

"We cannot find the words monetary or economic crisis, but we have covered them already in the section 'impacts of globalization'", he said. (byg)