Minister Mahfud says Golkar party dissolution unfair
Minister Mahfud says Golkar party dissolution unfair
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Defense Mahfud MD said on Friday
demands for the dissolution of the former ruling party Golkar
were unfair because Golkar was not the only party that violated
election laws in 1999.
"The Golkar Party was not the only party that violated the
political party law during the 1999 general election. I believe
that all political parties committed offenses," Mahfud said
during a media conference.
He said Golkar's second-place finish behind the Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle in the elections reflected the
people's trust in the party.
"Only the people can dissolve Golkar by not voting for it in
the next elections in 2004," Mahfud said.
The minister held the media conference to discuss a request
for him to testify in a lawsuit lodged by a group of non-
governmental organizations against Golkar for allegedly accepting
donations which exceeded the legal limit.
Article 14 of Law No. 2/1999 on political parties stipulates
that a political party is not allowed to receive personal
donations exceeding Rp 15 million, or donations from private
companies, legal bodies or organizations in excess of Rp 150
million. If found guilty, the Supreme Court could suspend or
dissolve Golkar.
The lawyer for the plaintiffs, R.O. Tambunan, has asked Mahfud
and Minister of Finance Rizal Ramli to testify before the Supreme
Court. Testimony is also expected to be heard from former State
Logistics Agency (Bulog) chief Rahardi Ramelan, former Supreme
Advisory Council chief and Golkar Party functionary A.A. Baramuli
and the director of public accountancy firm Pricewaterhouse
Cooper, Hariyanto Sahari.
Mahfud said he objected to testifying before the court, but
was prepared to submit a written statement.
"I heard the rumor about Golkar's faults from Rizal Ramli, who
was the then Bulog chief and coordinating minister for the
economy, during a Cabinet meeting on Feb. 21," Mahfud said.
Quoting Rizal, Mahfud said Golkar had illegally received Rp 90
billion (US$9 million) in donations from Bulog during the 1999
general election. (02)