Golkar and ABRI committed to reform

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)