Golkar must introspect itself

Golkar must introspect itself

From Media Indonesia

The Golkar Party will encounter problems in the future. When
the party held a grand meeting at the Senayan Main Stadium in
Jakarta, it was a public secret that it gave money and lunch to
everybody attending the meeting.

When Akbar Tandjung made his speech, the sky suddenly became
cloudy, followed by resounding thunder. Strangely, it was a very
bright day shortly before. This must have been a bad omen for the
Golkar Party. Then, we heard a report of an incident in the
Central Java town of Purbalingga, followed by the collapse of the
stage at Tambak Sari Stadium in Surabaya. Obviously, God has
given His warning. Reap what you sow, so the saying goes. All
these unfortunate happenings must have stemmed from unfair
practices during the New Order era, in which Golkar had a big
share.

On the Purbalingga incident, this may not have been
perpetrated by PDI Perjuangan members because the jackets and
other attributes of this party are available anywhere. We must
remember that Megawati Soekarnoputri always asks all PDI
Perjuangan members to love peace, abide by the law and never
resort to rioting.

In fact, what has happened recently to the Golkar Party is
insignificant compare to the bloody incident on July 27, 1996, in
which many were killed and major material loss was incurred. The
Golkar Party should introspect itself because other parties never
experienced something like this when they celebrate their
anniversary or organize meetings. In Surabaya, for example, three
parties, PDI Perjuangan, PAN and PPP, held their parades in a
friendly and peaceful manner. Only the Golkar Party and former-
government's backed PDI under Budi Hardjono usually have trouble
when organizing events involving the masses.

Golkar should remember what it has done in the past:
instructing then Central Java governor (Suwardi) to paint public
places yellow and the conviction shown by Harmoko when nominating
Soeharto as Indonesia's president in the previous election.

OTTO YADI

Klender, East Jakarta