Golkar apology brushed aside

Golkar apology brushed aside

JAKARTA (JP): Observers have dismissed Golkar's recent apology
for its past mistakes as too little too late, while rival
politicians said it was merely a ploy to salvage the group's
tattered reputation.

They were responding to an announcement made on Sunday by
Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung, who apologized for the group's
"uncompleted tasks, wrongdoings and past mistakes."

However, Akbar made no mention of public criticism that Golkar
was responsible for helping to keep the authoritarian New Order
regime in power for 32 years.

Speaking in Yogyakarta, Gajah Mada University rector Ichlasul
Amal stressed that concrete action was more important than an
apology and said that Golkar must now understand that it was no
longer "the popular master".

"They (Golkar's leaders) have to respond to change," he said
on Wednesday. "Yet Golkar acts as though it was still in control
of everything...as shown in its campaign to ensure that civil
servants are allowed to join political parties.

"That shows how afraid Golkar is of losing its biggest group
of supporters...the apology certainly contained a political
message meant to improve its image," he said.

Amal conceded that not all of Golkar's members were
"arrogant". "Remember that (deputy chairman) Marzuki Darusman
wanted Golkar to apologize," he said.

Eep Saefulloh Fatah of the University of Indonesia agreed and
said that Golkar's apology meant very little to the nation.

"We need a new paradigm to rebuild this country and
unfortunately Golkar represents the old paradigm...I think it has
lost the confidence of voters because the current political
situation no longer favors it," he said.

"The apology is far too late and will not mend its tattered
image," he said. "Golkar has lost its momentum."

He said the apology showed Golkar's belated realization that
its popularity was on the wane. "It is now changing its strategy
and engaging in a war of image with other, newly established
political parties."

He cited the establishment of the Justice and Unity Party,
which was recently set up by dissenting Golkar members including
the former vice president Try Sutrisno.

"The new party has indicated that it is open to ideas of
democratization and change...that scares Golkar," he said.

Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) politician Mochtar Buchori
said the apology was a ploy to win back sympathy now that Golkar
was cornered, abandoned by important figures, and wracked by
internal dispute.

"It is not a genuine apology, (Akbar) had to do it after
realizing that Golkar was no longer as powerful as in the past,"
he said.

"When he (Akbar) felt that Golkar was still strong, he refused
to bow his head to the people," Mochtar noted.

Nirwan Sembiring, the secretary-general of the newly
established Catholic Democratic Party (PKD) said that Akbar's
apology was an attempt to attract voters and not born out of
genuine regret for past abuses of power.

"Golkar will never change because it is led by the people who
are responsible for the New Order's wrongdoings," said Sembiring.
(45/prb/rms/edt)