Golkar determined to increase its dominance in House
Golkar determined to increase its dominance in House
JAKARTA (JP): The ruling political organization, Golkar, is
determined to increase its majority in the House of
Representatives in next year's election.
Golkar officials vowed to make every effort to achieve this
goal at a Golkar leadership meeting in South Jakarta yesterday.
"We are determined to win more votes than we did in the 1992
election," said Golkar chief Harmoko.
The three sanctioned political organizations, Golkar, the
Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), and the United Development
Party (PPP) will vie for 425 of the 500 seats in the House of
Representatives.
The remaining 75 seats are reserved for the Armed Forces.
The Armed forces play a dominant political role but under
Indonesian law its members can not vote.
Golkar has won every election since 1971. In the 1992 Golkar
won 282 seats, 17 less than in 1987.
The Moslem-oriented PPP currently has 62 seats and the PDI 56
seats.
Harmoko declined to target a specific number of seats. All
Golkar leaders should work hard to improve the party's showing
next year, he said.
Golkar's Research and Development Department chief, Burhan
Magenda, predicted Golkar would win a maximum of 71 percent of
the vote next year. Golkar won 68 percent of the vote in 1992.
"Remember that the other two contestants (PPP and PDI) are
also toiling to improve their performance," Burhan told
reporters.
"Our minimum aim is to maintain our 68 percent majority in the
House," he said.
Golkar deputy chairperson Siti Hardijanti Rukmana, President
Soeharto's eldest daughter, also declined to give a specific
target.
"Golkar is set to win as many votes as possible. What counts
is maintaining our majority in the House," she said.
Harmoko rejected a proposal for Golkar to establish a new
position, acting chairman, to takeover his day-to-day activities.
"The position is not mentioned in Golkar statutes. The current
structure be maintained until 1998," he said.
Armed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung called for Golkar
members and the public to be tolerant of different opinions.
He warned that the inability to appreciate difference can lead
to political violence.
"Both the government and the Armed Forces respect different
ideas as long as their expression does not offend Indonesian
values," he said.
Golkar plays a key role in maintaining the unity of Indonesia,
he said.
Feisal called on the public to be wary of efforts by certain
interest groups to disrupt next year's election.
"The recent spate of incidents have followed the same pattern
and have had similar targets. They may be aimed at disrupting the
general election," he said. (imn)