Golkar claims Bung Karno, too

DENPASAR: Golkar campaigners here say they, too, have the right to tout pictures of founding president Sukarno, or Bung Karno, because "he belonged to all Indonesians rather than only to the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan)".

Ida Tjokorda Pemecutan told a gathering of thousands of Golkar supporters in Karangasem on Sunday evening that Golkar needed to learn from past mistakes of both Soeharto and his predecessor, first president Sukarno.

"There are always positive sides to every leader's regime," he said, as quoted by Antara, in the regency 90 kilometers east of here. "Let's call a spade a spade."

It was also reported that following the gathering, the Golkar supporters were intercepted on their way back to Denpasar by a group of PDI Perjuangan supporters in Ulakan, about 20 kilometers away from Karangasem.

The PDI Perjuangan supporters accused Golkar of ruining one of their flags. The Golkar supporters detoured and took another route to Denpasar.

Antara also reported that four people were injured in a clash between Golkar and PDI Perjuangan supporters in Sesetan subdistrict, South Denpasar, on Saturday.

Local police spokesman Major Y. Suyatmo said on Sunday the four victims were rushed to a hospital in Denpasar. He said the incident broke out on Saturday when a convoy of PDI Perjuangan supporters passed the house of a local Golkar figure, Wayan Chandra, where many party supporters had gathered.

There were no details of how the clash broke out, but the injured were identified as Agus, 18, I. Made Ngurah Sulang, 29, Andre Ade K., 29, and Wayan Natih, 24, who came off their motorcycles and were beaten up. (swe)