Harmoko praises outgoing Golkar legislators

JAKARTA (JP): Golkar chairman Harmoko praised the political organization's legislators in the House of Representatives for doing their best during their five-year term which will expire on Sept. 30.

Harmoko said after attending a farewell gathering for outgoing Golkar legislators that they had exercised their full function to channel public aspirations.

"As a team, they've served Golkar's executive board... very well," Harmoko said.

"Their commendable performance is quite obvious in the way they've influenced the government to accommodate public interests during the deliberation of bills," he added.

Only about 40 percent of 279 Golkar legislators will keep their post after Oct. 1, when President Soeharto is expected to install the new members of the 500-strong House of Representatives.

Golkar's faction in the new House, which will be represented by a record 325 seats, will be dominated by new faces.

Harmoko himself will be among Golkar debutants in the House. He has been tipped to become the next House speaker replacing Wahono.

He vowed that incoming legislators would improve or at least maintain their predecessors' performance.

"New legislators and reelected ones are expected to share the same view on all matters," Harmoko was quoted by Antara as saying.

Golkar will hold an internal orientation program to help its legislators attune their views.

An outspoken critic of Harmoko and outgoing Golkar legislator, Mangisara Marcos Lubis, failed to turn up for yesterday's gathering.

Mangisara blamed Harmoko in a House session with Minister of Information R. Hartono for the second deliberation of the broadcasting bill. For that reason, he said Harmoko did not deserve the House speaker position.

Harmoko, who was minister of information when the bill was deliberated the first time, said the "incident" had been settled by Golkar.

He refused to comment on possible disciplinary measures to be imposed on the defiant legislator.

Separately, chairman of Golkar faction in the House, Moestahid Astari, said Mangisara was not present due to the faction's preparations for the House plenary session to endorse the broadcasting bill today.

"His (Mangisara's) absence here does not have anything to do with his criticisms. I've told the executive board that he's concentrating on the final preparation of the bill's endorsement," Moestahid said.

He admitted, however, that to some extent, he had failed to exercise control mechanisms to prevent faction members from going off track.

"We've improved our mechanisms, but the problem deals with human resources. I cannot treat my friends as employees," he said. (amd)