Golkar executives deny patrons' charges
JAKARTA (JP): Golkar executives have rejected their patrons' accusations of failing to respond to calls for reform.
But they were quick to douse speculation that the strong interchange with their patrons was a sign of a rift within the dominant political organization.
Agung Laksono, a Golkar deputy chairman, said the patrons failed to provide evidence to substantiate their claims.
"It's baseless for the patron board to accuse us of failing to react positively and imbue a sense of calm among the people following the May riots," he told reporters at the Golkar secretariat in Slipi, West Jakarta, Saturday.
Agung, who is also minister of youth affairs and sport, said the executive board had instructed all its cadres nationwide to establish crisis centers to provide shelter for victims of unrest in the wake of the May unrest.
He said the board had also instructed its cadres to make full use of Alert Command Centers and coordinate with the Armed Forces to prevent the riots from escalating.
"The patrons board's statement was unfounded," he said while charging that the patrons have neglected to coordinate with the executives to seek solutions to all problems.
Golkar patrons blasted the executive board Friday for belatedly anticipating and responding to calls for reform and for failing to react positively and imbue a sense of calm among the people following the May riots.
Friday's statement was another demonstration of the apparent split between the board of patrons, headed by former president Soeharto, and the executive board chaired by Harmoko.
Last week Soeharto again flexed his authority as head of the patrons board by vetoing a planned meeting of Golkar's Big family. The move was evidence that Soeharto still wields considerable power in the dominant faction.
The strong interchange of words comes ahead of an extraordinary Golkar congress on Thursday which many believe will see Harmoko challenged and a debate on the abolition of the board of patrons.
While the executive board rejected the patrons' accusations, a Golkar legislator, Indra Bambang Utoyo, acknowledged separately that there might be some truth to the allegations.
"In my opinion, Golkar executives should examine themselves," he told The Jakarta Post Saturday.
He cited the decision by Harmoko in October to renominate Soeharto for president, despite Soeharto publicly asking the faction to reconfirm with Golkar cadres and members nationwide if they really wanted him to serve another term.
"Harmoko immediately said that the Golkar executive board would renominate pak Harto, without even checking with Golkar cadres and members," Indra said.
Split
However both Indra and Agung said the stern words exchanged would not threaten the integrity and unity of the organization.
"What's wrong with having differences of opinions?" Indra remarked.
Agung said "We are not divided into separate factions, we only have differences of principle".
Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid also said differences were a common feature within any organization.
"The fact is that such differences could have been muffled in the past, but nowadays they receive widespread publicity," Syarwan said.
Indra welcomed the plan to abolish the board of patrons.
"We have agreed to put the dissolution of the board of patrons on the agenda of the congress and replace it with an advisory board, which will have no veto rights and whose authority would only be to advise the executive board," he said.
He said there has been an agreement to include the abolition of the links of Golkar's three major components -- the Armed Forces, the bureaucracy and representatives of social and religious organizations -- to the political organization.
Of the efforts to maintain Golkar's supremacy, Indra said the organization was now seeking leaders to maintain the ruling political organization's position in the future.
"I'm still confident that Golkar will survive," he said.
"In my opinion, a figure like pak Edi Sudradjat could meet the requirements," he said , referring to the former minister of defense and security. (imn)