Golkar cadres criticize government

Golkar cadres criticize government

JAKARTA (JP): Cadres of the ruling political organization
Golkar issued a bold statement yesterday criticizing government
performance and urging it to undertake political and economic
reforms.

At two separate press briefings, Golkar leaders and officials
from Kosgoro, one of Golkar's seven founding mass organizations,
separately urged Golkar members in the bureaucracy to work hard
to regain public trust in the government's credibility.

Kosgoro criticized the government's repressive interventions
in sociopolitical activities and oppressive methods used against
those demanding fundamental reforms in the political, economic
and cultural spheres.

"Sociopolitical forces had inadequate room to develop in an
innovative and communicative way as it was completely controlled
by the government," said Kosgoro's year-end statement, read by
deputy chairman John Pieris.

"The government also monopolizes the truth and controls the
interpretative rights on political and state affairs," it said.

Chairman Bambang W. Soeharto and senior member Soenaryo were
present at the press conference along with other Kosgoro leaders.

Meanwhile Golkar leaders suggested that the government
intensify efforts to settle the ongoing economic crisis
accurately, quickly and genuinely.

"The government should control prices of the public's nine
basic needs, create a tight state budget, curb state and public
spending and try to prevent layoffs of civil servants and private
employees," said chairman Harmoko while reading the Golkar
statement to journalists.

"In the long term, the government should attempt to conduct
economic reform to strengthen the state economy and establish
economic equilibrium mainly for the sake of low-income people,"
the statement said.

Kosgoro maintained that political stability was not the sole
requirement in strengthening economic development.

"Political reforms are needed to eradicate the power monopoly
of a group of strategic elites," it said. "The reforms will also
create a democratic political climate to enable and increase
public political participation."

Kosgoro suggested the government take firm action against
state authorities found to be corrupt and collusive.

"The government must have the political will to eradicate
corrupt and collusive practices by reevaluating and restructuring
strategic government positions which are prone to corruption," it
said.

Golkar also suggested the government develop a political
management which could absorb public aspirations and anticipate
global competition.

"As a pluralistic nation, Indonesia is susceptible to
disintegration," the Golkar statement said. "The nation will have
to pay extremely high social, economical and political costs if
it fails to maintain its unity."

Speaking to reporters after the press conference, Harmoko said
Golkar's decision to renominate President Soeharto was final.

He, however, rejected the idea of announcing its vice
presidential candidates now.

"I will never reply to such question," he said, "If you
(journalists) insist, just ask ICMI (the Association of the
Indonesian Moslem Intellectuals)," he said.

Calling transparency an unavoidable issue in the state's
agenda, ICMI suggested at an annual conference last week that it
was now important to have transparent presidential and vice
presidential elections.

At a separate discussion yesterday, the Center for Information
and Development Studies (CIDES) said in its year-end evaluation
that the country's political scene this year had been "a violent
one".

In its evaluation entitled "The Dynamics of Indonesian
Politics in 1997: Transition Toward Change", the center said the
most violent and bloody incidents this year had been social
riots, mostly triggered during this year's election campaigning.

Researcher Indria Samego, who presented the evaluation, told
journalists that the "stagnant" and "formal" political channels
were the main reason for public frustration which manifested
itself in various forms of unrest.

"The government needs to do something about it to meet this
phenomenon of massive radicalization. Otherwise, it will continue
to escalate," said Indria, who is also a political observer from
the National Institute of Science.

Indria said that the government would also need to effectively
address the country's economic situation since the legitimacy of
the New Order government had rested on its successful development
program. (aan/imn)

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