Planned meeting of Golkar improper: Try

JAKARTA (JP): Former vice president Try Sutrisno said yesterday that the planned meeting of Golkar's three major elements on Monday evening was against the proper procedures of the organization and thus had to be canceled.

Try, the deputy chairman of Golkar's board of patrons, said the meeting was canceled by President B.J. Habibie after consulting with members of the board on Sunday evening.

"The meeting arranged by Habibie, who is the acting chairman of Golkar's board of patrons, and the secretary of the board, Akbar Tandjung, was not in line with Golkar's proper procedures," he told journalists at the secretariat of the Armed Forces Pensioners Association (PEPABRI).

Try, who is also chairman of PEPABRI, said the proposal to hold a meeting should have been discussed with former president Soeharto, who is still chairman of Golkar's board of patrons.

"As acting chairman, Pak Habibie should have consulted with Pak Harto before calling the meeting," he asserted.

Members of Golkar's board of patrons and provincial patron chiefs, who are also provincial governors, were scheduled to hold a meeting at the Armed Forces Headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta, on Monday evening.

The meeting, to be attended by Golkar's greater family including the Armed Forces and the bureaucracy, was expected to discuss preparations for Golkar's extraordinary congress to be held on July 9-11.

Try said the meeting was canceled by Habibie after a "discussion" with the Golkar board of patrons on Sunday evening.

Asked about how Soeharto responded after the former president learned of the plans to hold the meeting, Try said: "Pak Harto remained cool and showed no anger."

Saying that yesterday's media conference was held with Soeharto's approval, Try dismissed speculation that he had scolded Habibie for taking the initiative on Sunday night.

"No, we only had a discussion," he said.

Meanwhile Rudini, a military analyst, said he regretted that the planned meeting was canceled because reform of the ruling political organization was on the agenda.

"The meeting's agenda included a discussion about withdrawing ABRI and the bureaucracy from Golkar's structure."

"People should not have been suspicious about the meeting, despite the fact that it was to be held at the Armed Forces' Cilangkap headquarters," he told reporters after addressing a seminar on political reform here yesterday.

Rudini, a former minister of home affairs, said he would support the extraordinary Golkar congress if the organization committed itself to revising its statutes and reviewing the existence of the Golkar's board of patrons, the provincial council board and the board of advisors.

Separately, political observer Amien Rais said he doubted if Golkar could maintain its supremacy in the post-Soeharto era and said that even next week's extraordinary congress would not succeed in preserving internal unity.

"I'm not sure whether Golkar will be as solid as it was in the past because it has no unifying figure like Pak Harto anymore," he told reporters after addressing a later session of the same seminar. (imn)