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)