Golkar promises to fight employee infractions
JAKARTA (JP): The ruling Golkar yesterday promised supporters and prospective voters to spearhead a national drive against "infractions" spanning from sexual harassment to corruption.
Deputy chairman Agung Laksono announced yesterday that the issues Golkar would focus on during the election campaign next year included a total of 69 state problems the grouping has identified as facing the nation and in need of resolution.
"Golkar will promote a national campaign against irregularities in the campaigning sessions for next year's general election," Agung said here yesterday.
Among the problems are social and economic disparities, monopolies, sexual harassment against women, poor law enforcement, corruption and collusion practices among the bureaucrats, he said.
Agung did not deny allegations that the irregularities were mostly committed by government employees, who are Golkar members. However, violations were committed by "individuals," not the organization, he insisted.
Golkar is contesting the election against the United Development Party (PPP) and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI). Only 425 of the 500 seats at the House of Representatives, are up for grabs. The remaining 75 seats are reserved for the Armed Forces, whose members do not vote in general elections.
Eligible Indonesian voters will cast their votes in next year's May 29 general election.
Accompanied by other Golkar leaders, including Aulia Aman Rachman, Gunariyah K. Mochdie and Abdullah Fahmi Alatas, Agung guaranteed that the grouping's vote-canvassers would talk only the truth and would not make empty promises.
Golkar has won all of the past five general elections. In 1992, Golkar won 282 seats in the House, 17 less than the previous election in 1987. The Moslem-oriented PPP obtained 62 seats, while the Nationalist-Christian PDI won 56 seats.
Insisting that Golkar should retain a controlling majority in the House, its leaders have said they are determined the organization will win at least 70.02 percent of the total vote in the general election.
Campaigning is restricted to a 25-day period by electoral law. Next year's campaigning is scheduled to begin on April 29 and end on May 23. There is normally a cooling-off period of seven days before the election day.
When asked about some of the unfulfilled promises made by Golkar in the 1992 general elections, Agung only said the organization has made an inventory of them with the intention of meeting them later.
Agung also said Golkar would train 1,200 cadres in a 20-day program so they become quality campaigners.
A number of prominent speakers, including sociologist Selo Sumardjan, communications expert Bachtiar Aly and social psychologist Sarlito Wirawan Sarwono will brief the training participants. Also to brief the training sessions are Golkar chairman Harmoko and other Golkar central board officials.
Separately yesterday, Golkar chairman Harmoko defended the current proportional election system, which he said minimized the practice of "money politics".
He said replacing the current system with the district system, as some people have demanded, would increase the likelihood of personal meetings between individual candidates and their voters. This situation, he argued, would be a fertile ground for money politics.
Harmoko was speaking in Malang, East Java, at a Golkar meeting.
The issue of money politics was recently brought forward by senior political expert Roeslan Abdulgani, who said the political clout of Indonesian tycoons had grown to the extent that they were now able to maneuver political situations to their own advantage. (imn/25)