MKGR youth group told to vote again

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto wants the youth wing of Musyawarah Keluarga Gotong Royong (MKGR) to call an extraordinary congress to resolve the internal bickering within the organization, which is affiliated to Golkar.

MKGR chairperson Mien Sugandhi briefed journalists yesterday on her meeting with Soeharto, who is chief counselor of the organization.

"The Central Committee of MKGR should quickly hold a meeting and set up a presidium to prepare the extraordinary congress," she said, quoting Soeharto.

Mien did not say exactly when the extraordinary congress would be held.

The bickering within MKGR began when Mien Sugandhi refused to acknowledge the new executive board of the youth wing of the MKGR formed in Lampung recently.

The new executive board was elected during a national congress of the MKGR youth corps in Bandar Lampung on Sept. 20-22. To Mien's chagrin, also State Minister for Women's Roles, the congress elected Tantyo AP Sudharmono, son of former vice- president Sudharmono, to the post of chairman.

At her house on Tuesday, Mien had already denounced the new board and asserted that she would not recognize it on the grounds that the election was not "democratic".

After meeting Soeharto in Merdeka Palace to report on this latest development, Mien claimed that there were many procedural errors at the congress during the election of the new chairman of the youth wing.

Without elaborating, she warned that there are "elements from within" who were creating these circumstances to undermine the organization.

When asked if she had thrown her support behind a particular candidate, Mien admitted that she had indeed made certain recommendations.

When pressed further she acknowledged reports that a letter had been floating around at the congress giving her support to a certain candidate.

"Yes, it's true, but that was only a recommendation put forward to the floor," she remarked, playing down the importance of this letter.

Mien said the President also ordered the matter to be resolved through MKGR's central board of executives and the advisory board.

She further passed on the President's assertion that all MKGR branches and affiliated organizations must remain under the umbrella of the central board.

Mien herself went on the refute suggestions that the youth wing of the MKGR had no organizational or structural obligations to the central committee. (mds)