Golkar's reshuffle

Golkar's reshuffle

A sudden reshuffle in the Armed Forces leadership, recently, has left us wondering about the reason for the move. To add to the confusion, a similar scramble has occurred in the Golkar ruling party.

A well-known rumor held that outspoken legislative members would be recalled. The rumor seemed to become fact with the dismantling of Usman Hasan who was replaced by Mustahid Astari.

The public reaction to this move has been varied. One opinion says that there has been a communication gap between Golkar members and their leaders. Others say the party has been plagued with factionalism.

Much criticism of the party had been made in past elections. One example is that other political parties had been reduced to "ornaments" in the general elections.

In realpolitik terms, Golkar, as the most powerful party, will remain in the leading position for the immediate future. However, in its efforts to stay on top it may have to resort to actions that suppress the development of democracy. What is being called for is a Golkar that is a champion of democracy, as the future of the nation now lies with how it can integrate transparency into politics.

-- Merdeka, Jakarta