Govt denies interfering in Golkar congress

JAKARTA (JP): Newly elected Golkar chief Akbar Tandjung and Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid have dismissed allegations that the military and government officials had intervened to influence the result of Golkar's extraordinary congress.

"The allegations are untrue. The whole election process was held by secret ballot," Akbar told reporters after formally replacing Harmoko as Golkar chairman in a ceremony at the grouping's secretariat in Slipi, West Jakarta, yesterday.

"However, it was not wrong for cabinet ministers to support my chairmanship campaign. It was also not wrong if retired military generals supported Edi Sudradjat's nomination," he remarked.

Akbar, who is also Minister/State Secretary, defeated Edi in an election on Saturday to become Golkar chairman.

During the three day extraordinary congress, rumors were rife that various officials were using their influence to persuade the 27 regional chapters to vote for their favored candidates.

Akbar was seen as having the backing of President B.J. Habibie and Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto, while Edi was supported by senior retired generals.

Several delegates claimed during the meeting that Assistant to the Armed Forces' Chief of Sociopolitical Affairs Maj. Gen. Mardiyanto had telephoned regional military commanders and instructed them to influence Golkar chapters under their respective jurisdictions to vote for Akbar.

Similarly, the director-general of sociopolitical affairs in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Dunidja, reportedly telephoned the 27 provincial governors for the same purpose.

Mardiyanto and Dunidja were said to be acting upon the instructions of Wiranto and Syarwan respectively.

A group of 13 retired generals from the 1945 and Post-1945 Generations lashed out at the Armed Forces (ABRI) Headquarters and the government on Monday for interfering in Golkar's recent extraordinary congress.

Akbar admitted yesterday that he had personally telephoned several regional chapters and members of Golkar's board of councilors and also asked them to have breakfast with him prior to the election.

"The meeting and telephone calls were intended to explain my vision as a candidate," he argued.

Separately, Syarwan said he did not see any procedural violations in the election and dismissed the allegations that home affairs ministry officials had interfered in the election.

"The whole election process was lawful," he said.

He said freedom was guaranteed throughout the two round secret ballot because nobody knew whose name was written on each voting paper.

Nepotism

Harmoko, in his farewell speech at the Golkar handover ceremony yesterday, made a call for the new executive board to rid the organization of all collusion and nepotism.

"Golkar factions in the DPR (House of Representatives) and MPR (People's Consultative Assembly) should be free from all collusive and nepotistic elements before the general election next year," Harmoko said.

"Golkar must be ready for whatever electoral system finally emerges, whether it is a pure district system or a combination of districts and proportional representation," he said.

Akbar appeared non-committal when he said he supported the spirit of reform and would considering cleansing Golkar.

"We will consider recalling Golkar's legislators who gained their positions through collusion and nepotism, including the children of former president Soeharto," he said.

Four of Soeharto's children -- Siti Hardijanti Rukmana, Bambang Trihatmodjo, Siti Hediati Prabowo and Hutomo Mandala Putra -- are members of the Golkar faction in the MPR.

Harmoko said Golkar now had a network of 12 million active cadres scattered among villages throughout the country and a total of 36 million registered members nationwide.

He also said that Golkar had a structural network of 27 regional chapters, branch offices in 306 regencies and mayoralties, and commissioner offices in 3,517 sub-districts and 69,000 villages.

To run the organization and to fund the 1999 general election campaign, Harmoko handed over Rp 17.5 billion (US$1.2 million) to Akbar as funds for Golkar's operational expenses.

Asked about sources of Golkar funding over the past five years, Harmoko said he had inherited Rp 11 billion from his predecessor Wahono and had received financial assistance from the Dakab Foundation.

The foundation, established in July 1985, is chaired by Soeharto. Its assets are worth Rp 836.29 billion. (imn)