Manuevers against Golkar dangerous, Akbar threatens

Manuevers against Golkar dangerous, Akbar threatens

A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Detained Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung threatened on Saturday
that political maneuverings against his party would only cost the
country in its bid to emerge from the current crises.

Akbar, who is also the House of Representatives speaker,
renewed his call for reconciliation among members of the
political elite.

He said he issued his threat in an attempt to remind all parts
of the nation, particularly the executive branch, of the People's
Consultative Assembly decree No. V/2000 on the reinforcement of
national integrity and unity.

"We wish to remind that during the time of suffering like
this, political maneuverings to weaken one of the nation's strong
elements are irrelevant and unproductive," he said in his
statement read by Golkar deputy chairman Agung Laksono over the
weekend.

Akbar's statement came two days before the House convenes to
decide whether it approves a motion to set up a committee of
inquiry, known as pansus, into Akbar's involvement in the scam.

So far the House's 10 factions are currently divided into two
groups -- five are in support of the proposed establishment of
pansus and five against.

The five supporting factions are the Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), the National Awakening Party
(PKB), the Reform faction, the Indonesian Nationhood and Unity
faction and the Love the Nation Democratic Party (PDKB).

Opposition comes from the Golkar Party, the United Development
Party (PPP), the Indonesian Military/National Police, the
Daulatul Ummat Party and the Crescent Star Party.

Another scandal involving Bulog last year led to the dismissal
of then president Abdurrahman Wahid by the People's Consultative
Assembly, who acted following two censures handed by the House. A
year of tension between the House and Abdurrahman had preceded
the political move.

Early last month, Akbar urged the need for all parts of the
nation to bury the hatchet and switch their focus from pursuing
group interests to working together to save the country.

Akbar was detained on March 7 to expedite the investigation by
the Attorney General's Office into his involvement in the misuse
of Rp 40 billion from the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) when he
was the minister/state secretary in 1999. The funds were supposed
to finance a food for the poor program ordered by then president
B.J. Habibie.

Akbar hinted that his implication in the alleged scam had been
mixed up with political motives.

"Law enforcement, which is part of the reform agenda, has
failed to bear fruit. Instead there has been an impression that
the law is becoming a political tool," Akbar said.

His statement neglected to mention the fact that in the past,
during the heyday of Golkar under former president Soeharto, the
country's legal system served the political interests of the
ruling regime.

Akbar said in his statement that the nation had been wasting a
lot of its energy fighting against each other despite the
unabated crises it was facing.

"It's regrettable that our energy and strength, which is
already diminishing, is squandered for unnecessary political
disputes that will result in a loss to everybody. We should have
exercised our limited power to bring the country out of the
crises," Akbar said.