Golkar mulls leaving Cabinet for opposition

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)