Golkar calls for early evaluation of Habibie

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)