Golkar leader sees ghost of Old Order
Golkar leader sees ghost of Old Order
JAKARTA (JP): A senior executive of the ruling political group Golkar says he is disturbed by the emergence of new organizations using names of defunct political parties of the Old Order era.
Abdul Gafur, a deputy chairman of Golkar's central executive board, told a seminar on Saturday that although these new organizations profess that their aim is to forge nationalism and unity, they could actually undermine national unity.
Gafur said he was concerned because these new organizations seemed to present themselves as extensions of defunct political parties of the Old Order.
The Old Order is the phrase used to describe the administration of Indonesia's first president, Sukarno, who ruled between 1945 and 1967. The term is used to distinguish it from the New Order, the official phrase used to describe the administration of President Soeharto since 1967.
Gafur is one of the student leaders of 1966 who mobilized massive street demonstrations that led to the downfall of Sukarno and ushered the rise of Soeharto to power.
On Saturday, he and colleagues from his university days grouped in Fosko 66 (a study and communication forum) organized a seminar to discuss the presence of the new organizations.
"As an exponent of the 1966 Generation, we are concerned at this development because apparently they want to pull back the pendulum to the past," he said.
He maintained that his concern was not due to a fear of these new organizations threatening Golkar's dominance, but because they could sow discord in society and ultimately threaten national unity.
At least three new organizations have emerged in recent months that use acronyms or abbreviations similar to political parties that were popular in the 1950s and 1960s. They are the new PNI, the new Parkindo and the new Masyumi, respectively named after the old nationalist, Christian and Moslem parties.
"After this, we could even have a new PSI," Gafur said referring to the old Indonesian Socialist Party.
The number of political parties allowed to contest elections was streamlined in 1973 to only three -- Golkar, the United Development Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party. Subsequent laws barred the parties from using religions as their ideology.
Gafur underlined the need for caution in treating the new organizations, because they are old parties wrapped in new labels. "The content is the same," he remarked.
"Looking at their content, we should be alert. Especially since the new Masyumi has stated that it intends to be a new political party in the future," he said.
He contended that if there is dissatisfaction or adverse effects from the current political and economic conditions, then people should address them through the proper channels.
"Let's join the already existing organizations and work to improve things from there...Does forming new organizations solve the problems? I think not," he said.
In contrast to Gafur, the Armed Forces (ABRI) took a more neutral position about these new organizations, saying that it did not see any problem, even in their choice of names, as long as they comply with regulations.
ABRI Chief spokesman Brig. Gen. Suwarno Adiwijoyo told Antara on Saturday said one of the reasons for their emergence is people's discontent about the performance of existing political and mass organizations in representing their interests.
But another reason is simply because there are now greater political openness, Suwarno said. "They are taking advantage of the openness permitted by the government." (mds/emb)
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