Harmoko says Golkar remains very solid

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)