Golkar's role

A conference of Golkar leaders was recently held to coincide with the party's 30th anniversary. Throughout those 30 years of existence Golkar's record has been unambiguous. As a social- political organization it not only set off and opposed the Indonesian Communist Party, its thoughts and influence on political life, it also proved to be effective in laying out the social and political infrastructure that eventually became one of the main pillars of the New Order.

The positions of organizations such as the United Development Party or the Indonesian Democratic Party make it easier for them to take a stance and react against existing problems such as those that concern land clearance, law, human rights or openness. At the national, regional and bureaucratic levels they are not a part of the executive branch of government. Golkar's position in this respect is much more delicate since any action in those fields would pit them against its own members occupying positions in the bureaucracy and executive branch.

The view taken by the Golkar leadership, however, is correct: In the years preceding the 1997 general election the main issues will still be the problems of land and land acquisitions, abuse of power, social disparity, openness, labor problems, human rights and the question of making the legislature more effective.

By sincerely orienting itself towards the interests of the people at large, however, this largest of our social-political organizations will be able to meet the challenges of the changing times.

-- Kompas, Jakarta