Golkar optimistic about national development

Golkar optimistic about national development

JAKARTA (JP): Despite various threats to national stability
and order over the past year, the ruling political organization
Golkar is confident Indonesia will be able to continue its
development programs.

"We experienced unrest... yet we managed to maintain the
nation's unity and harmony," said Golkar's year-end statement,
co-signed by chairman Harmoko and secretary-general Ary Mardjono.
The document was issued on Monday.

The organization described how the nation withstood attempts
to undermine the government and to replace the state ideology
Pancasila with liberalism, communism and separatism.

Golkar did not mention names, nor elaborate on who it believes
launched attempts to undermine the government.

It said the year 1996 saw a series of social-political
tensions and violence.

Indonesia experienced last year a number of major unrests,
including the July 27 riots in Jakarta that followed a dispute in
the Indonesian Democratic Party; the June attack against Moslem
migrants in the predominately-Roman Catholic East Timor; the Oct.
10 attack on churches in the predominately Moslem Situbondo, East
Java; and finally the Dec. 26 attack on ethnic Chinese and their
property in the West Java town of Tasikmalaya.

Golkar observed people's expectations for democracy have
increased in line with the progress the country has achieved in
other fields.

"That expectation is a reflection of the dynamic of Indonesian
politics with people questing for greater justice and the
upholding of human dignity," the statement said.

Golkar also praised Indonesia's foreign affairs record. With
its "free and active" foreign policies, Indonesia has been able
to improve its image and role in international forums, the
statement said.

The organization praised Indonesia's achievements in the
economy, as shown by improved welfare, but regretted the existing
social and economical disparities which are evident in the
unbalanced distribution of capital and limited access to
markets.

As for the country's legal development, Golkar said there has
been an increase in people's awareness of their rights. It took
note of the greater number of laws produced by the government
last year.

This development, however, was accompanied by an increase in
the number of violations of the laws, committed by both the
general public and those in authority, with crimes that become
more sophisticated and the debasement of the Indonesian
judiciary, the statement said.

The organization called for greater efforts to improve the
quality of Indonesian politics and to make the general election a
success.

Eligible Indonesians will go to the polling booths and cast
their votes to elect members of the House of Representatives in
next year's election on May 29.

Golkar and the other political organizations

All 1,000 members of the People's Consultative Assembly,
including the 500 members of the House of Representatives, will
meet in March 1998 to elect the country's new president. (imn)