Harmoko says Golkar remains very solid

JAKARTA (JP): Golkar chairman Harmoko asserted yesterday that despite reports of infighting and dissent, the dominant political organization remains very solid and ready to hold an extraordinary congress early next month.

Speaking after a plenary meeting of the central board which ended in the early hours, Harmoko said the congress would be held from July 9 to July 11.

Golkar secretary-general Ary Mardjono was appointed chairman of the congress steering committee, Aulia Rachman the chairman of the organizing committee and Waskito Reksosoedirdjo the executive chairman.

Harmoko said Ary and Aulia were elected to their positions while Waskito was appointed by acclamation during the plenary meeting attended by 45 out of 47 members of the Golkar's Central Board.

Also present were former president Soeharto's second son Bambang Trihatmodjo and eldest daughter Siti Hardijanti Rukmana who are both members of the board.

Neither was willing to comment when chased by journalists after the meeting.

Golkar has been facing growing internal dissent in the past few weeks. It began when one of its founding allies, Musyawarah Kekeluargaan Gotong Royong (MKGR), decided to break ranks and form its own party.

Another strong ally, the cooperative movement Kosgoro, has also indicated that it might go its own way.

The decision to hold an extraordinary congress was taken when Golkar's provincial branches demanded that Harmoko be replaced.

Several Golkar branches have also argued that the congress should not be organized by the central board.

Voting

Despite the prolonged meeting and pressure for him to resign, Harmoko did not seem distraught as he maintained that the organization he leads remained strongly united.

Responding to queries over the fact that even the congress' organizing committee had to be decided by ballot, Harmoko brushed aside suggestions that these were "signs of friction" within the organization.

He said voting was not a taboo.

"Indeed, there were some clashing opinions earlier. But that's normal isn't it? Because Golkar tolerates differences.

"It is actually because of these differences that we can step forward to unify our opinions," he said.

"Golkar's Central Board always searches for solidarity and unity... So, there are no nuances whatsoever to be read into this, or that the board is on the brink of breaking up." he asserted.

Ary supported his chairman's view and strongly denied suggestions that the Golkar board was split into two camps, the proreform camp of Harmoko and the prostatus quo camp spearheaded by Ary.

Pressed to comment whether it was true that he was a "Cendana man", Ary retorted by saying: "Do you have evidence to prove that? It's just a rumor."

Cendana is the name of the street where Soeharto resides.

While in power, Soeharto kept a strong grip on Golkar which endlessly threw its support behind him.

Soeharto is still chairman of Golkar's patrons.

During his presidency, Soeharto effectively used Golkar as his political tool. It was not until a week before he finally resigned that Harmoko -- who is also speaker of the House of Representatives -- broke ranks with the former president and called for his resignation. (aan)