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