Golkar's role

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