Golkar sets up team for Habibie

JAKARTA (JP): The ruling Golkar Party has established a team of strategists, headed by party chairman Akbar Tandjung, to boost President B.J. Habibie's chances at the next presidential election.

Akbar told the media at Golkar's office here on Thursday that the team was official, and was different from groups of individuals close to Habibie that some media reported had been campaigning to get him elected president for the next five years.

"If there are other people who also set up teams to ensure Habibie's victory, then... they have nothing to do with us. Although, of course, it is always possible for these different teams to cooperate before the (presidential election)," Akbar was quoted by Antara as saying.

"This team of strategists will be directly under the command of the chairman," he said. "Its tasks will be to lobby, approach and persuade various parties to support Habibie."

Akbar said Habibie had yet to be informed of the decision, which was taken on Wednesday after a routine meeting of Golkar leaders. He declined to reveal the amount of funds being set aside for the campaign.

In addition, Golkar also set up four other teams to help it prepare for the General Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) in November. They are a team in charge of Golkar's preparations for the State Policy Guidelines (GBHN), a team in charge of affairs outside of the GBHN, a team to prepare Habibie's accountability speech, and a team that will campaign for Golkar's proposal for the amendment of the 1945 Constitution.

The GBHN team is led by deputy chairman Theo Sambuaga, and it will study "the best format and material" for the next GBHN, Antara said.

The non-GBHN team is led by deputy chairman Agung Laksono, the accountability team led by Fahmi Idris, while the team for the amendment of the constitution is led by deputy chairman Marzuki Darusman.

The accountability team will be in charge of monitoring and studying how well Habibie observed the decrees of the MPR Special Session last November, including those on clean governance and on the promotion of human rights.

"Golkar will closely scrutinize (Habibie's performance) because (the observations) will form the party's basis to nominate Habibie (in the presidential election)," he said. (swe)