Golkar executive board condemned

JAKARTA (JP): The Golkar board of patrons blasted its executive board yesterday for being late in anticipating and responding to calls for reform.

The meeting, chaired by President B.J. Habibie and attended by the likes of former vice president Try Sutrisno, former defense minister Edi Sudradjat and Minister/State Secretary Akbar Tandjung, also reproached the executive board for failing to react positively and imbue a sense of calm on the people following the May riots.

"Golkar leaders have been slow to anticipate developments in the progress of reform and late in taking necessary action to comply with the spirit of the movement," Try Sutrisno, deputy chairman the board, said.

"We (the board of patrons) can thus understand why Golkar's regional chapters have asked for an extraordinary Congress, and even why many of them have asked the executive board to resign," he said reading out the board's recommendations for next Thursday's extraordinary Golkar congress.

Former president Soeharto, who is the Chief Patron of Golkar, did not attend the meeting at the board's headquarters on Jl. Teuku Umar in Menteng, Central Jakarta.

Soeharto was believed to have been represented in the meeting by Try.

Among the 25 members who attended were Coordinating Minister for Development Supervision and State Administrative Reform Hartarto, former religious affairs minister Tarmizi Taher, former coordinating minister for people's welfare Azwar Anas, and former environment minister Sarwono Kusumaatmadja.

The gathering was held at Soeharto's request after he canceled a meeting planned for last Monday between Golkar leaders and representatives of the Armed Forces and the bureaucracy at the last minute.

Soeharto's move shows that he is still calling the shots at Golkar even after resigning from the presidency, and came amid speculation that he is trying to make a political comeback through the organization.

Golkar, the dominant political group for the last 32 years, is scheduled to hold an extraordinary congress on Thursday to review its position and possibly seek the ouster of executive chairman Harmoko.

A statement made by Harmoko, in his capacity as Speaker of the House of Representatives, calling for Soeharto to resign in May was one of the crucial turning points which led to Soeharto's resignation.

Try said last night that Golkar needs to first reform itself and respond positively to the people's aspirations.

"The board of patrons, advisors and councilors, as well as the three major Golkar groupings -- the Armed Forces, the bureaucracy and the Representatives of Social and Religious Groups -- must be reviewed and adjusted in a bid to comply with the aspirations of the people and the coming future," he said reading from the statement.

Meanwhile Sarwono denounced Golkar's executive board as hypocrites.

"It was Golkar's executive board who renominated Pak Harto for the presidency," he told journalists. "So why then was it them who also asked him to step down?"

The secretary to the board of patrons Akbar Tandjung said it would be the privilege of the extraordinary congress to respond to the board's recommendations.

Asked about the board's possessive behavior toward the executive board, Akbar said it was the natural consequence of the board of patrons existence.

"That's the reason why the board should be abolished," he told journalists at the end of the meeting. (imn)