Golkar mulls leaving Cabinet for opposition

JAKARTA (JP): The Golkar Party said on Friday it was waiting for the right moment to withdraw itself and become a formal opposition party in the country.

Following the results of a three-day leadership meeting, which said Golkar "was ready" to become an opposition party, chairman Akbar Tandjung announced that the party would not hesitate to do so, but he did not elaborate on when it could occur.

"We are looking closely at the situation and when the moment comes we will seize the chance," Akbar asserted.

He claimed that the party was "mentally and physically ready" to answer the call from its young cadres to withdraw all its ministers from the current Cabinet along with its political support for the government.

The three-day Golkar meeting, which ended late Thursday night, was highlighted with stinging criticism of the administration of Abdurrahman Wahid.

Whether the assertion to become an opposition party is more than rhetoric remains to be seen for the party which has monopolized political power for some three decades.

Senior Golkar executive Fahmi Idris noted that becoming the opposition was a very dilemmatic choice.

From outside the party there are mounting calls for Golkar to completely make a new start.

Political observer Azyumardi Azra urged Golkar to not wait any longer to leave government posts and become the formal opposition as soon as possible if they wanted to boost their public image.

Azyumardi said the party's critics of the current government had backfired in their actions as the public sees Golkar as "the enemy within" since its cadres were part of the government.

"They criticize the government, which they are still a part of, while people simply cannot forget that they were also a part of the past that ruined democracy," he told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

He suggested that Golkar might be reluctant to assume the role of opposition party because it enjoys being part of the power structure.

"If the party really cares about democracy and is serious on their new platform, they should do it right now," he asserted.

Another political observer, Mochtar Pabottingi, also questioned the intention of the party, saying that becoming a formal opposition would put Golkar in a very difficult place as it would be easier for the public to point the finger at Golkar.

"As you saw when they presented the critics, people quickly deplored them. However, they do have a good potential to be an opposition party and it might increase their credibility," Mochtar said.

He further suggested that rather than being continuously questioned the party should just dissolve themselves and establish a new party, which could completely excise itself of the past regime.

"Golkar was the major player that brought the country to ruins, so rather than being questioned as the opposition they should dissolve and establish a new party," he remarked. (dja)