Golkar calls for early evaluation of Habibie

JAKARTA (JP): The Golkar Party agreed on Saturday to move forward its executive meeting which will decide whether to maintain the party's nomination of incumbent B.J. Habibie for the presidency.

Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung said the meeting was expected to take place on Oct. 12 or Oct. 13, depending on when the working assembly of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) completed its deliberations.

"At the latest, the meeting will take place one day before the MPR regroups to endorse decrees and elect a president," Akbar said after attending a consultative meeting on the timetable for the Assembly's General Session.

Akbar said the date of the party's executive meeting was moved ahead after all of the factions in the Assembly agreed to accelerate the General Session. According to the new schedule, the MPR working committee will be given between Oct. 5 and the morning of Oct. 14 to deliberate draft decrees. This will be followed by a week-long plenary session of the Assembly, which will begin with the President's accountability speech on the evening of Oct. 14.

Golkar originally planned to hold its executive meeting on Oct. 17.

Akbar said the meeting of Golkar executives, including representatives of the party's provincial chapters, was not meant to reconsider the party's decision to name Habibie its sole presidential candidate.

"Insya Allah (God willing), there will be no change in our choice of presidential candidates. But each provincial chapter is allowed to give its opinion on the presidential candidacy," Akbar said, adding that Golkar has never named an alternative presidential candidate.

He said he expected the party would be united in its stance on its presidential candidate, but asserted that provincial chapters would not be punished if they rejected Habibie's nomination.

"Provincial chapters are allowed to have different opinions on that matter," he said, apparently referring to the party's Yogyakarta chapter, which demanded that Golkar withdraw its nomination of Habibie.

A split has surfaced within Golkar on Habibie's candidacy, thanks in part to his East Timor policy and the high-profile Bank Bali scandal, which allegedly involves a number of people close to the President.

A group of provincial Golkar chapters called last month for a party congress aimed at unseating Akbar from the party's chairmanship for his refusal to take measures against his deputy Marzuki Darusman, who they accused of spreading disharmony in the party.

Instead of being fired, Marzuki, a Habibie critic, was elected on Wednesday to lead the party's faction in the Assembly. He defeated Fahmi Idris, a former member of Habibie's Cabinet, in the vote.

Marzuki said on Saturday the upcoming Golkar executive meeting would decide on the party's strategy to win the presidential election.

"It's very logical to evaluate the prospects of our nominee, so that we are fully confident about our presidential candidate," Marzuki said.

He said the evaluation of Habibie's candidacy would be left to the provincial chapters.

Separately, another Golkar deputy chairman, Slamet Effendy Yusuf, confirmed that during the meeting party executives would be given the opportunity to "thoroughly evaluate" Golkar's bid for the presidency. (emf/rms/amd)