Golkar picks Army general as secretary

JAKARTA: Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung installed Lt. Gen. (ret.) Budi Harsono as the party's new secretary general on Monday, replacing the late Maj. Gen. (ret.) Tuswandi who passed away on June 12.

Akbar said Golkar's historical relations with the military and common vision between his party and the military were the reasons behind appointing Budi Harsono as its new secretary general.

"That is why I invited the him from the military circle to fill the post of secretary general," Akbar was quoted by Antara as saying.

Budi Harsono is a former chairman of the military/police faction of the House of Representatives (DPR).

Akbar added that Harsono was one of only two names from the military nominated for Golkar's secretary general post, following his election to the party's chairmanship in 1998.

The other was Tuswandi, who was occupying a post in the National Resilience Institute (Lemhanas), while Harsono was an assistant for social and political affairs to the Armed Forces' (ABRI) chief of staff for social and political affairs.

Tuswandi won the race and was elected Golkar secretary general.

"After Tuswandi died, I thought of Harsono, who was also nominated to the post by the party's extraordinary congress in 1998," Akbar said. -- Antara