Golkar wary over extended council leadership dispute

Golkar wary over extended council leadership dispute

JAKARTA (JP): The ruling Golkar faction said yesterday it
hopes the surprise results on the election of speakers at the
provincial legislature would not become a precedent for the
national level.

Golkar's secretary-general Ary Mardjono said yesterday the
"lesson" from the leadership dispute in the Irian Jaya provincial
legislative council should not inspire a similar dispute in the
House of Representatives (DPR).

Despite occupying a majority of the seats in the Irian Jaya
legislature, the Golkar candidate for the council speaker lost
the nomination.

"We hope the Irian Jaya council leadership dispute will not
extend to the national level, the DPR," Ary told reporters in a
press conference yesterday.

Several political observers have predicted the same Golkar-
ABRI row could again take place at the national level during the
election of House Speaker in October.

Legislators had suggested that Harmoko's House Speaker
nomination could be challenged by Lt. Gen. Syarwan Hamid, a
future legislator from the Armed Forces faction. The controversy
immediately declined as some top government officials had
signaled Harmoko was the man for the post.

But Harmoko's road to the House Speaker post will not be easy
as the United Development Party's (PPP) chairman Ismail Hasan
Metareum has declared his readiness to be nominated as House
Speaker.

Speaking about the leadership dispute in Irian Jaya, Ary said
the dispute is now settled "as the installation ceremony went on
smoothly today (Monday)".

He said the Golkar central board had instructed the local
legislators to attend the ceremony and not demand a re-election
of the provincial council leader.

The initial installation ceremony of Col. Robert Sitorus as
chief of the Irian Jaya provincial legislative council last week
was postponed for failing to reach a quorum after Golkar
legislators "boycotted" the ceremony.

Golkar's 32 elected councilors, in the country's largest
province, were instructed by the central board to boycott the
installation ceremony following the party's defeat by a candidate
from the Armed Forces (ABRI) faction in the race for the
chairmanship seat.

He said that Sitorus' victory was unexpected as Golkar
legislators are supposed to hold a leading position in the
legislative councils of which they have a majority.

"The assumption was the result of an agreement between
elements in Golkar that as the winning party it must hold the
leading position," he said.

The instruction, sent through facsimile, was issued to Golkar
Deputy Chairman Moechtar who is the party's regional coordinator
for Irian Jaya and Maluku.

Sitorus, secretly receiving support from many Golkar
legislators, won the chairmanship 27-9, pushing aside Golkar
candidate and preelection favorite T.N. Kaiway.

Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S.M. has reportedly
approved the election result.

Golkar's central board of executives last week sent a team to
Irian Jaya to settle a dispute over the chairmanship of the
province's legislative body.

The team, led by Secretary-General Ary Mardjono, consulted
with the leaders of Golkar's office in Irian Jaya and the
province's elected councilors as well as Chief of the Irian Jaya
Regional Military Command.

As of yesterday, the Armed Forces faction won eight top
legislative posts -- Jakarta, East Java, Yogyakarta, Riau, North
Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Southeast Sulawesi and Irian Jaya. (imn)