Golkar promises to be gentle to its rivals

JAKARTA (JP): Golkar executives, surprised by the big margin of its victory, promised yesterday to be gentle to its two rivals: United Development Party (PPP) and Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI).

Theo Sambuaga, a Golkar legislator at the House of Representatives who will enjoy another term, said: "Golkar will now enjoy a more powerful bargaining position, but we won't decimate the roles of the other parties. We are still one big family."

Theo said the political system guaranteed that all House factions would join forces rather than fight each other while making decisions.

Theo, also a Golkar deputy secretary, said a feature of decision making in the House known as musyawarah untuk mufakat (deliberation to reach consensus) would be maintained.

"All the traditional four factions will remain, and each will have equal contribution in the decision-making process, regardless the size of the individual faction because we never recognize opposition parties," Theo said.

By last night, Golkar had won 74.05 percent of the vote, PPP 22.95 percent, while PDI plummeted to its worst showing with 3 percent. Golkar had aimed for 70.02 percent.

Golkar deputy chairman Abdul Gafur told Reuters he was surprised at the margin of Golkar's victory. "It surprises us because according to our calculations we thought we could reach only 70 or 71 percent," said Gafur.

"We have worked very hard and this is the result," he said, adding that the size of the win would have little effect on Golkar's policies.

"Golkar will be in a powerful position for decision-making," Gafur said. "But we will avoid any steps to be powerful just for the sake of power. We will be stronger and more powerful, but within the framework of our political system."

The election means Golkar will become more powerful, but the PPP will also grow stronger and pose a serious challenge to Golkar, while PDI will be much weaker.

But a PPP official said he did not see significant changes in how the parties would relate to each other in the House. Hadimulyo, who heads the PPP think-tank, said that despite the election results, every faction would retain the same bargaining power for decision making.

"The decision making mechanism emphasizes the quality of individual legislators rather than a faction's strength. It means that a small party is not necessarily a weak faction," he said.

He suggested that future House legislators with similar ideas form informal caucus to work together and strengthen the House's position before the government.

Abdurrahman Wahid, the chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Moslem organization, however, said in Yogyakarta yesterday that he did not believe PPP would be strong enough to bring changes.

Buttu R. Hutapea, the secretary-general of the government- recognized PDI faction, refused to comment on the future of his party at legislative councils.

"The drop in our vote was beyond our expectation, but let's wait for the final results. We still hope for more votes," Buttu said.

Promises

Meanwhile, analysts said that Golkar, emerging with an even stronger mandate in this election, now faces the challenge of delivering the many promises it made during the campaign.

One of its biggest challenges will be to eradicate corruption, collusion and monopolies, the University of Indonesia's School of Social and Political Sciences' dean, Muhammad Budyatna, was quoted by Antara as saying.

"The most interesting issue the poll contestants raised in their platforms during the campaign was the fight against corruption, collusion, manipulation and monopolies," he said. "Golkar has convinced voters that it would address these issues if it won the election.

"This will be a serious challenge facing Golkar for the next five years," Budyatna said.

Oka Mahendra, a Golkar legislator who will complete his tenure in September, echoed this call. "Whoever wins the election shouldn't be so intoxicated by victory that it forgets its promises," he was quoted by Antara as saying. "The election is a democratic means to reform and improvement."

He said the party that gained the most support would choose the country's next leaders so it should be able to implement its promised policies.

An analyst at the Center for Information and Development Studies (CIDES), Dewi Fortuna Anwar, said the United Development Party (PPP) and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) believed the electoral system heavily favored Golkar.

"In terms of the election, I think it was free. If Golkar wins, I don't think it will be because of vote manipulation or anything like that. It is just that the conditions are such that it is difficult for Golkar to lose," she was quoted by Antara as saying.

Hadimulyo said this proved that people wanted change.

"The government should heed this development (and initiate) substantial political changes," he was quoted by Antara as saying.

Budyatna said Golkar should learn from this election in its preparations for the 2002 election.

Former Golkar legislator Marzuki Darusman said that scrutineers should be registered much earlier next time and electoral violations should be resolved legally.

Marzuki, a National Commission on Human Rights member, said both steps were important because many violations had happened in this and past elections.

The measures would help stop recurring problems of scrutineers being absent during ballot counting, he said.

Early registration would strengthen the parties' positions at the polls, protect the public's interest and eliminate suspicions of possible manipulation, he said. (amd/01/swe/aan)