Golkar defends office ownership

Golkar defends office ownership

JAKARTA: Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung said on Friday that he
would instruct the party secretary general Budi Harsono to study
documents regarding the ownership status of the party office in
West Jakarta.

He said his party had been regularly paying the taxes for the
use of the land and the building.

"We will study the documents to address public concerns," he
said, referring to the demands that Golkar return its office
building to the state.

He added, however, that Golkar was not the only party to enjoy
state facilities. The United Development Party (PPP) and the
Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) built their offices on state
land during the era of former president Soeharto.

Since the fall of Soeharto in May 1998, the government no
longer provides parties with office buildings, due to the sheer
numbers of political parties. -- JP