Golkar may hold gathering

DENPASAR, Bali: Governor Made Dewa Beratha has said that, contrary to recent speculation, his office had not rejected the wish of the dominant Golkar to hold a mass gathering in the province.

Antara quoted the governor on Thursday as requesting, however, that the convention be postponed because the "situation on Bali is not favorable at the moment".

He cited recent demonstrations by thousands of Hindus in the province over an offensive remark made by State Minister of Food and Horticulture A.M. Saefuddin about their faith.

"Don't cause an extra burden (for the province) by making Bali the venue (for a large political assembly)," he said. "Wait until things return to normal."

Besides, "Golkar has not yet contacted me (to request permission)", he added.

Bali earlier this month was the venue for a massive gathering of supporters of Megawati Soekarnoputri's Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI). Despite officials' initial jitters, the commercially important tourist island carried off the event without a glitch.

Following harsh criticism over its refusal to apologize for past political mistakes, Golkar stated it wish to hold large gatherings to consolidate their supporters to face the general election next year. (swe)