Harmoko insists Golkar will not abuse power
Harmoko insists Golkar will not abuse power
JAKARTA (JP): Golkar's chairman promised yesterday that the
group will not abuse its power if it won another controlling
majority in the House of Representatives in the next general
election.
"Golkar will never use its power arbitrarily. Golkar will use
its power to promote the welfare, honor and integrity of all
Indonesians," Golkar chairman Harmoko said at the end of a
national conference.
"We reject dictatorship by the majority as much as we abhor
tyranny by the minority," Harmoko said, as quoted by Antara.
The general election should not be seen as a contest for power
between Golkar and the other political organizations, but rather
as a drive between contestants to contribute to the increasingly
complex national development process, he said.
A Golkar victory in the 1997 general election, as has been the
case in the previous five elections, "would not be simply winning
for the sake of winning," he told 600 Golkar leaders.
Golkar has won every election held under President Soeharto
since 1971. Last time, in 1992, it won 68 percent of the total
votes, against 17 percent collected by the United Development
Party and 15 percent by the Indonesian Democratic Party.
Harmoko, the first civilian to lead Golkar, promised when
elected chairman in 1994 to enhance the majority in the 1997
election.
President Soeharto, in his capacity as Golkar's chief patron,
told the conference on Wednesday that the group should strive to
win a controlling majority in the 500-seat House of
Representatives. Seventy five seats have already been allocated
to the Armed Forces, leaving 425 seats for the three political
groups to contest.
Harmoko said a controlling majority for Golkar should be seen
as a trust from the people.
"This trust will never make Golkar arrogant," he insisted,
adding that Golkar will always uphold democracy, the law and the
1945 Constitution.
Harmoko said Golkar is selecting candidates for the House
elections and promised the representatives would be of the
highest quality as well as people of vision.
New faces
Golkar is expected to field many younger candidates in the
coming election. Harmoko signed a decree last year setting an age
limit of 65 years and limiting stints in the House to four terms.
Earlier, Bambang Trihatmodjo, a member of the Golkar executive
board and son of President Soeharto, told reporters that he was
not aware if his father was grooming a successor.
"Father has never thought about grooming a crown prince to
replace him," Bambang said when he was approached by reporters at
a break during the Golkar conference.
He underlined President Soeharto's assertion, made earlier
this week to visiting Australian journalists, that he had never
sought reelection.
"The People's Consultative Assembly will determine the
President," Bambang said, adding that everything is up to the
people.
When asked if he was interested in a political career,
Bambang, a successful businessman, replied "Personally, I chose
business."
"Father never told his children to do this or that. He left
everything to his children to decide. He never gave directions,"
Bambang said. (emb)
Majority -- Page 2