Golkar moves to settle Irian debacle

Golkar moves to settle Irian debacle

JAKARTA (JP): Golkar's central board of executives has sent a
team to Irian Jaya to settle a dispute over the chairmanship of
the province's legislative body.

Golkar Chairman Harmoko said yesterday that the team, led by
Secretary-General Ary Mardjono, would consult with the leaders of
Golkar's office in Irian Jaya and the province's elected
councilors.

The team, which left for Jayapura on Wednesday evening,
included Golkar Deputy Chairman Moechtar who is the party's
regional coordinator for Irian Jaya and Maluku.

"There are several things which need coordinating and
consulting with the local councilors and our branch office
there," Harmoko said after attending a limited ministerial
meeting on political affairs and security.

Harmoko, also the State Minister for Special Assignments,
declined to provide further details.

Golkar's 32 elected councilors, in the country's largest
province, were instructed by the central board to boycott the
installation ceremony on Wednesday morning following the party's
defeat by the Armed Forces faction in the race for chairmanship
seat.

While elections in other provinces proceeded smoothly, the
contest in Irian Jaya ended in an unexpected win last Friday for
Col. Robert Sitorus.

Sitorus won the chairmanship 27-9, pushing aside Golkar
candidate and pre-election favorite T.N. Kaiway.

Many Golkar legislators in the secret ballot voted for Sitorus
instead of Kaiway.

Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S.M. has reportedly
approved the election result.

Antara reported that Dortheis Asmuruf, Golkar chief of the
province, said the instruction to boycott came via facsimile from
Golkar's central board in Jakarta. Kompas said the facsimile was
signed by Deputy Chairman Moechtar.

The ceremony was canceled because it failed to make a quorum.

Mismanagement

Political analyst Johanes Kristiadi said yesterday that
Golkar's boycott might indicate a mismanagement within its bigger
family, which includes the Armed Forces and the bureaucracy.

"The dispute would not have emerged if the election had been
well arranged among the three factions within Golkar," Kristiadi
said referring to the Armed Forces, bureaucracy and Golkar
itself.

As of Wednesday, 18 of the country's 27 provinces have
completed election for the chairmanship seat of their respective
legislative body. Golkar has won the top seat in 12 provinces
including West Java and Central Java.

The Armed Forces faction won six top posts -- Jakarta, East
Java, Yogyakarta, North Sumatra, Southeast Sulawesi and Irian
Jaya.

Kristiadi said the Irian Jaya case showed the Armed Forces,
whose reserved seats at the House of Representatives have been
reduced from 100 to 75, would still seek the provincial
legislative body's top seat.

"They (the Armed Forces) insist on it (on the ground of) their
sense of mission to guide the country safely through a transition
in the (national) leadership," Kristiadi said. "Besides, the
Armed Forces is the strongest player in the real politics of the
country."

Kristiadi predicted the same row could again take place at the
national level during the election of House Speaker in October,
although some top government officials had signaled that Harmoko
was the man for the post.

"The Armed Forces will not voluntarily give up the position if
they feel uncertain (that a particular individual) fits their
mission," he said.

All 500 House legislators will be inducted on Oct. 1.

Yesterday, Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and
Security Soesilo Soedarman said that the dispute within Irian
Jaya's legislative council had been settled.

"Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S.M. told me in the
meeting that the case was settled yesterday (Wednesday)
afternoon," Soesilo told reporters after chairing a coordinative
ministerial meeting.

He did not elaborate on the outcome of the dispute settlement.
(imn/amd)