Golkar's dissolution legally unacceptable

Golkar's dissolution legally unacceptable

MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi (JP): There is no legal basis for any
power in this country to disband the Golkar Party, despite
mounting demands for the party's dissolution, prominent lawyer
Todung Mulya Lubis said here on Tuesday.

"Whatever the reason to disband Golkar, which ruled the
country for more than 30 years, it would be unfair and would kill
Golkar's political rights," he said on the sidelines of a one-day
public discussion on political structure and the future elections
organized by the Makassar Polling Centre and the Centre for
Electoral Reform (Cetro).

"The 1945 Constitution guarantees the citizens' right to
gather and establish organizations or unions," he said.

According to Todung, demands for the dissolution of Golkar
have come too late. "Golkar legally joined the 1999 elections and
have been participating in the current administration. So it
would be very unfair to eliminate Golkar's political rights.
Dissolving Golkar should have been conducted during the
transitional government under president B.J. Habibie. It's too
late now."

"The mounting demands for the party's dissolution does not
mean that the party must be dissolved. The party has the right to
exist based on the Political Party Law No. 39/1999. So it is a
violation of the law to use force to disband Golkar," he said.

"Despite its legal existence Golkar has been challenged to
introspect and purify itself from any elements which carry New
Order sins. Golkar retains political sins it committed in the
past," he said. "It's time for Golkar to revitalize and make
corrections."

Anti-Golkar sentiment has been mounting in several regions,
initiated by the vandalism of Golkar offices in Surabaya and
other towns in East Java last month.

Most anti-Golkar rallies and vandalism of the party's assets
were organized by those claiming to be supporters of President
Abdurrahman Wahid.

Asked about the possibility of accelerating general elections
to unseat the President, Todung said that it was the political
party which won the 1999 election that should take the initiative
for such a move.

"Does the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
Perjuangan) have the political calculation to seek ways to hasten
the elections? We had early elections when Habibie was the
president. But the election was manifested through the People's
Consultative Assembly (MPR) special session."

He warned, however, that if the special session was held, it
should not be used as a stepping stone for holding elections.

"The special session is held as a follow-up to the financial
scandals in which the President was allegedly involved. In short,
hastening the elections will be impossible." (27/sur)