Golkar leaders talk down risk of disintegration

Golkar leaders talk down risk of disintegration

JAKARTA (JP): Golkar leaders were stoical yesterday about the
possible unraveling of the dominant political grouping following
the breakaway of one of its strongest allies, MKGR. They said
they still had enough cadres to ensure the party's survival.

Senior Golkar executives, House of Representatives faction
leader Irsyad Sudiro and Deputy House Speaker Abdul Gafur, said
separately they would not be able to prevent members who wanted
to jump ship and establish their own political parties.

"It's up to them," Irsyad said when asked about the
establishment of the MKGR Party led by its chairwoman, former
minister of women's affairs Mien Sugandhi.

Mien has claimed the new party would attract about 25 million
supporters who felt restricted in their aspirations when MKGR was
a Golkar affiliate. Mien said the party was established in order
to anticipate changes brought about by the campaign for reform.

However, Irsyad admitted that what Mien and her fellow
dissenters had done was only deflate Golkar.

Gafur said "it's no problem" that MKGR broke ranks with
Golkar, which for the past 25 years served as the political
machinery by which former president Soeharto's New Order
administration maintained power.

"Golkar has many card-carrying cadres," Gafur was quoted by
Antara as saying. "It's up them. If they want to, they can do
it."

Speaking after attending a consultation between President B.J.
Habibie and House leaders at the House complex yesterday, Gafur
cited Soegeng Sarjadi, a former Golkar legislator who deserted
the party and became an executive of the Indonesian Democratic
Party (PDI) in the early 1990s.

"Golkar will maintain its existence, even if its affiliates
leave it," Gafur said, adding that in rural areas alone, Golkar
has around 12 million cadres.

Three of Golkar strongest affiliates were MKGR, Kosgoro and
SOKSI. Kosgoro had said it was studying the possibility of
turning itself into a political party independent of Golkar.

SOKSI has yet to say whether it will also seize on the
introduction of greater leeway for Indonesians to build their own
political parties independent of the existing three: Golkar, PDI
and the Moslem-based United Development Party (PPP).

The government, however, has warned the new parties against
launching political activities such as mobilizing the masses,
pending the establishment of a new law on political parties.

In Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, hundreds of students marched
to the provincial legislative council and demanded the abolition
of Golkar which they accused of being behind the economic crisis
in Indonesia.

"Golkar must be dissolved because it is to blame for the
crisis, and because it sponsors activities which are against the
law, such as corruption, collusion and nepotism," the students
charged. (swe)