Golkar weeds out problematic members
Golkar weeds out problematic members
A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
As the beleaguered Golkar Party seeks to remove the thorn in its
flesh, a party top official warned on Thursday of tough measures
against staunch critic and senior party member Achmad Arnold
Baramuli.
Golkar deputy chairman Agung Laksono told reporters on the
sideline of the party's leadership congress at Jakarta's Century
Park Hotel that the possibility of suspending or dismissing
Baramuli "remained wide open".
"It is up to the participants whether they will propose a
suspension or dismissal of Baramuli during the plenary meeting,"
Agung said.
Baramuli, who has not turned up for the three-day meeting
which opened on Wednesday, is a senior member who now serves as
one of the party's patrons.
He called for an extraordinary congress to demand embattled
party chairman Akbar Tandjung, a suspect in the misuse of
billions or rupiah intended for the poor, account for himself.
The bitter relationship between Baramuli and Akbar surfaced
after Golkar failed to get B.J. Habibie elected president during
the 1999 elections.
Baramuli gained momentum to oust Akbar after the latter was
implicated in a financial scam involving the State Logistics
Agency (Bulog).
"According to party rules, the board of executives has the
right to suspend or dismiss either party members or patrons,"
Agung said.
Golkar had earlier decided to suspend deputy secretary general
Muchyar Yara, also for his repeated calls for Akbar's
resignation.
Muchyar is the lawyer and a close confidant of Ginandjar
Kartasasmita, a Golkar patron and People's Consultative Assembly
deputy speaker.
Agung also announced on Thursday a plan to weed out 20
problematic cadres and party members who serve in the government.
Agung refused to name names, but said the suspension had long
been planned in line with a recommendation given by party leaders
during their previous annual meeting in 2000.
"The party needs acts of refreshing. Those members will be
suspended on the grounds of negligence, indiscipline," Agung
said.
The suspension will be officially announced on Friday at the
latest, Agung said.
"The previous leadership meeting gave mandate to the party's
chairman to suspend the cadres," Agung said.
Another Golkar member Priyo Budi Santoso said all the names of
suspended party members were "in Akbar's pocket".
Rumors have been circulating that the suspended members
include Ekki Syahrudin, the Indonesian Ambassador to Canada, and
Abdullah Puteh, the governor of Aceh Nangroe Darussalam.
Other names were Farida Samsi Chadariah and journalist Ansel
Da Lopez who will both be suspended as they had never attended
party meetings.
According to Agung, the suspension was subject to change at
the party congress in 2004.
"The congress is the highest forum to decide the fate of the
party members. Therefore, should the suspended members be able to
make amends for their mistakes in the future, they will be
rehabilitated as party members," he said.