New look Golkar faces problem in policy reformation
New look Golkar faces problem in policy reformation
JAKARTA (JP): The many new faces in the government-backed
Golkar faction in the new House of Representatives will be a
problem in the political organization's policy reformation,
politicians said yesterday.
Only 20 percent of 282 Golkar legislators will keep their
seats when the House's five-year term ends Sept. 30.
The few old faces will line up in the 325-strong Golkar
faction which is certain to dominate the next legislative body.
The huge number of Golkar debutants has raised public
expectations of a different style of faction, mainly because of
the party's campaign promises.
"Reformation does not always come from changes in crew
membership, but from consistency in launching fresh ideas,"
outgoing Golkar legislator Didiet Haryadi Priyohutomo said
yesterday.
He said the faction would suffer a setback to conservatism if
it failed to deliver its major campaign promise of eradicating
corruption and collusion from the bureaucracy.
"People wait for nothing but Golkar's successful anti-graft
campaign. It is politically complicated because it will pit
bureaucrats against fellow Golkar cadres," he said.
Minority parties have repeatedly criticized Golkar for relying
on the support of the bureaucracy and the armed forces.
One Golkar legislator who will be back, Slamet Effendy Yusuf,
said the party's commitment to clean government was beyond
question, but legislators could not carry the burden of
fulfilling campaign promises.
"All policies, including the anticorruption campaign, came
from Golkar's central board, not the legislators," Slamet said.
He said many legislative candidates joined the chorus of
anticorruption calls during the electoral campaign in their
capacity as Golkar cadres.
Slamet agreed with Didiet that Golkar's members being
predominantly debutants did not guarantee a reformation in the
House.
"Efforts to empower the House do not depend solely on each
legislator but also on the political environment and the public
image of the legislative body," he said.
He said the political system was allowing more people to
express their aspirations but that improvement was needed.
"It's naive to compare democratization in Indonesia with that
in countries with established democratic traditions. I believe,
anyway, that democracy is a matter of time here," he said.
Slamet said Golkar played a key role in the efforts to empower
the House.
The House is thinking about amending its internal rules that
have been blamed for preventing it from executing its control
over the government.
In a bid to do a good job, Golkar has prepared a team of
experts to help its legislators.
Another second-term Golkar legislator, Syamsul Mu'arif, said
the faction would maintain its traditional stance of criticizing
the government without becoming an opposition force.
"It's important for each legislator, therefore, not to shut
his or her mouth but to develop improvisation skills. A silent
Golkar will cost the House and the nation democratization," he
said. (amd)