Kosgoro to elect new chairman, mark anniversary
Kosgoro to elect new chairman, mark anniversary
JAKARTA (JP): Kosgoro, an influential cooperative affiliated with the ruling Golkar political grouping, is celebrating its 38th anniversary today and will begin its five-yearly congress tomorrow.
President Soeharto will open the gathering at the Merdeka Palace. Participants in the congress will hear outgoing chairman Soeprapto's account of his five-year tenure and will elect a new chairman.
So far, five names have repeatedly surfaced as potential leaders of the cooperative: Soeprapto; Hayono Isman, State Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports; Sarwono Kusumaatmadja, State Minister of Environment; Siswono Yudohusodo, Minister of Transmigration; and Agung Laksono, a deputy chairman of Golkar.
Sarwono and Siswono earlier expressed unwillingness to be nominated for the post.
Of the three remaining candidates, Hayono appears to be the strongest contender for the chairmanship. Among factors in his favor is the fact that he is one of the sons of Gen. Mas Isman, a co-founder of Kosgoro and its first chairman.
Hayono was also chairman of Kosgoro's youth wing from 1989 to 1994. The membership of the youth wing have recently declared their support for him.
Kosgoro Youth spokesman Sutrimo said Hayono's nomination was approved at a meeting of the youth group on Tuesday.
"We have set up a team to campaign for Hayono's candidacy in the election," he said, as quoted by the Kompas daily.
Willingness
Sutrimo said that Hayono once expressed his willingness to be nominated in the upcoming election.
Kosgoro is a cooperative organization established on Nov. 10, 1957, by the East Java group of the Student Army, which fought during Indonesia's independence war.
The student soldiers established the organization as a venue for cooperation among social groups, regardless of political affiliation or religious beliefs, in an effort to help build a new Indonesia.
Kosgoro is one of the four major organizations that helped found Golkar in 1964.
It currently claims to have members in all 27 provinces and in 288 sub-districts of Indonesia.
Kosgoro was initially set up as a saving and lending cooperative. It later developed into a regular mass organization, attracting many people from other organizations to join it.
Kosgoro is currently an umbrella organization for 10 groups, including groups of students, youth, women, farmers, fishermen, workers and Moslems.
Today, Kosgoro focuses its attention on efforts to improve the income of rural people through investment in rural banks, infrastructure, resource sectors, and small scale industries.
Among its businesses is the famous Kostour travel agency. The cooperative also manages a number of hotels, and is involved in some trading and manufacturing businesses.
Together with the Mitsui Corporation of Japan, Kosgoro has established a foundation and a number of education institutions.
Some 2,000 participants in the congress will start their activities this morning with a visit to the grave of Mas Isman and to the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery.
This evening, a reception will be held to mark the anniversary.
The convention will be closed by Vice President Try Sutrisno on Nov. 15. (imn)