Golkar to end chief patron's veto right

JAKARTA (JP): Golkar is set to rid itself of the board of patrons, currently chaired by former president Soeharto, when it convenes an extraordinary congress here tomorrow.

The three day congress is expected to bring in a new era for the dominant political organization as it sets out a new format for its organizational structure.

The chairman of the extraordinary congress organizing committee, Waskito Reksosoedirdjo, yesterday revealed that significant changes would be made in Golkar's policy-making and advisory councils.

"We will include the abolition of Golkar's board of patrons, board of advisors and board of councilors on the agenda of the extraordinary congress," he told reporters in a media conference at Golkar's secretariat in Slipi, West Jakarta.

"The three bodies have such enormous power, including the authority to freeze Golkar's executive board," he said.

The veto rights of the board of patrons shows that even though he has stepped down from the presidency, Soeharto still wields considerable power over the organization.

The board of patrons flexed its muscles again last week when it canceled a planned board meeting and later condemned the executive body, chaired by Harmoko, for failing to anticipate and respond to calls for reform.

Waskito said there were several options for replacing the board of patrons, including the establishment of a new board with a limited advisory role or the removal of the board of patrons vetoing rights.

On the preparations for the congress, Waskito dismissed speculation that the Rp 2 billion budget for the extraordinary congress would be financed by the family of former president Soeharto.

"We obtained the money from donors and Golkar's treasury fund. It's halal (rightful). "It did not come from Cendana," he said, referring to the street in Menteng, Central Jakarta, where Soeharto lives.

Golkar has a funding system, kept at the Dakab Foundation, which was established in 1985 mainly to finance Golkar's social activities. Its assets are said to be worth Rp 836.20 billion.

Evolve

Analysts and even Golkar members have pointed out that tomorrow's congress marks a turning point in the evolution of the dominant political organization, particularly in its efforts to become more independent from the Armed Forces (ABRI).

"Golkar should free itself from other binding structural elements, including the Armed Forces, if it wants to emerge as an independent political organization," Din Syamsuddin, chief of Golkar's Research and Development Center, told reporters in Semarang, Central Java, yesterday.

Mochtar Mas'oed, a political scientist from Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University, also said Golkar would be acceptable to all groups in society if it could free itself from the Armed Forces.

"Golkar will then become an open political party and could regain the people's trust as it did in the early years of its existence in the 1960's," he said.

The Musyawarah Kekeluargaan Gotong Royong (MKGR), an element in Golkar's big family which declared it would establish a new party last month, indicated that it would actively participate in tomorrow's congress if Golkar complied with the spirit of reform and eradicated all collusion, corruption and nepotism.

Golkar was established in 1964 as an amalgamation of seven organizations which included the Armed Forces, labor organization SOKSI, cooperative movement Kosgoro and the MKGR.

So far calls for a new Golkar have been received a positive response from the Armed Forces.

Minister of Defense and Security/Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto said on Friday that ABRI would be ready to forsake its influential role in Golkar.

"There will not be any A (ABRI), B (Bureaucracy) and G (Social and Religious Group) elements in Golkar any more," Wiranto said at a congress of the Muhammadiyah Youth organization in Pekanbaru, Riau, on Friday.

"ABRI will maintain an even relationship with all political elements, including Golkar," he added. (imn/har/23/43/44)