Golkar...why not just dissolve!
Golkar...why not just dissolve!
From D&R
Early this year the General Chairman of the Functional Group
(Golkar), Akbar Tandjung, finally apologized to the community for
all Golkar's past mistakes. I hoped this sincere apology would
regain public sympathy for Golkar.
However, reform movement activist Yenny Rosa Damayanti, said
that Golkar's apology was too late, adding that the political
organization failed to make any mention at all of the myriad
forms of violence committed during the New Order.
I would like to suggest Akbar Tandjung cease issuing
statements and making promises that will never be realized and
instead dissolve Golkar.
The rationale for my suggestion is as follows:
* Golkar leaders have never kept their word. Remember in the last
general election how the prominent Golkar campaigners
bombastically promised to increase the standard of living for all
people. At the end of the day, all the benefits were enjoyed by
the campaigners themselves and their associates only, leaving the
people's fate the same as ever, or even poorer.
* Golkar veterans then adopted a very disappointing Reform
Cabinet, one that selected none other than those arrogant old
timers who belonged to the New Order regime. Look at the way
Harmoko acted when he was the general chairman of Golkar and
acted concurrently as minister of information. Recall also the
arrogance that was shown by the Head of the Supreme Advisory
Council, AA Baramuli. It was disgusting. During these ten months
of Reform Cabinet administration, the government has failed to
improve the people's standard of living. Conditions have in fact
worsened with the prevailing climate of violence. Atrocities have
occurred in a number of locales, the latest and most appalling
one taking place in Maluku province.
The cabinet, House of Representatives (DPR) and the People's
Consultative Assembly (MPR) should also be dissolved, because
most of the members of the latter two institutions are only
mouthpieces for the New Order. To fill the vacuum in the
administration I propose that the reform heroes (the best leaders
from our university senates), under the cooperation and
leadership of their rectors be entrusted to establish a
provisional MPR. Their primary task should be the completion of
all the unfinished laws, including the crucial political and
election laws. Emergency measures need to be taken to rescue our
country from crumbling and disintegrating. The situation could
lead to social revolution, as feared by Nahdlatul Ulama (NU)
organization chairman Abdurrahman Wahid and by us all. We need
scrupulously clean, honest and concerned figures to build our
social, economic and political as well as legal settings anew.
R. JOHAN
Address known to the editor