'Golkar committed to clean government'

'Golkar committed to clean government'

JAKARTA (JP): Golkar chairman Harmoko said yesterday that the
ruling political grouping is committed to the establishment of a
clean government.

Addressing a year-end press conference, Harmoko pledged that
Golkar would continue to fight corruption and collusion. Its
campaign for a clean government, he said, would be conducted in
legally accepted ways.

"Since its establishment (in 1964) Golkar has always been
committed to the creation of a clean government," said Harmoko at
the ruling party's headquarters in Slipi, West Jakarta. He was
accompanied by other Golkar leaders.

In its campaign against corruption, however, Golkar will
carefully uphold the presumption of innocence principle, Harmoko
pledged.

The chairman was referring to the allegations of corruption
recently leveled at Minister of Transportation Haryanto
Dhanutirto.

Harmoko made the remarks a few hours before Minister/State
Secretary Moerdiono announced that Haryanto had been cleared of
all corruption charges and that the case was considered closed by
President Soeharto.

Moerdiono said the alleged violations were administrative
mistakes.

The alleged violations, listed in three classified documents
written by Inspector General of Development Kentot Harseno, were
leaked and picked up by the media several weeks ago.

Harmoko said yesterday that Vice President Try Sutrisno, who
holds supervision authority over all ministries, is working to
get to the bottom of the leaked state secrets.

"If allegations of corruption are not supported by strong
evidence, (this amounts to) slander, which will (also) face legal
mechanisms," Harmoko said as quoted by the Antara news agency.

Golkar does not develop thoughts and comments which run
counter to the existing "mechanisms", Harmoko told reporters.

In the year-end statement, Golkar noted progress in democracy
throughout the year, despite various instances of corruption,
collusion and other abuses of power.

"We must admit that political openness...reached a significant
point in 1995. The freedom of the public to convey their opinions
and the rise of new mass organizations... are proof of openness
and democratization," Harmoko said.

Harmoko is also Minister of Information.

However, he said, corruption, collusion and the behavior of
"certain government officials...sacrifice the interests of the
powerless."

Golkar called for "the empowerment of the people's economy" so
that more people, especially the poor, can benefit from economic
growth. "It is an agenda which needs to be (implemented) more
intensively," he said.

The statement, however, did not touch on the frequently raised
need for an anti-monopoly law.

Harmoko said that a conducive climate for the development of a
"people's economy" starts with the Bill on Small Enterprises,
which was recently approved by the House of Representatives.

The statement also called for the maintenance of food security
by halting the conversion of agricultural land for industrial
purposes.

Regarding the 1997 general elections, Golkar does not believe
in winning elections "just for the sake of winning". Rather, he
said, Golkar strongly believes that "victory in elections is for
the sake of development and the people's welfare."

Although the political climate has been heating up, "national
stability has gone undisturbed" because of the public's "more
mature" and increased awareness of politics. (anr)