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)