Three refuse to join Golkar executive board
JAKARTA (JP): Less than 48 hours after the lineup of the new Golkar executive board was announced, three people have already refused to join.
Newly-elected Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung said Indra Bambang Utojo, Didit Hariyadi and Salim Said had decided not to accept their respective appointments because they believed they could not commit themselves fully to Golkar.
Akbar, who is also Minister/State Secretary, regretted their decisions but maintained that they would not affect his leadership which, he believed, was already backed up by a solid team to carry out Golkar's programs.
"I didn't expect them to decline the posts, I wanted to mobilize all Golkar forces," Akbar told journalists after meeting with President B.J. Habibie in the Bina Graha presidential office.
Golkar's three day extraordinary congress elected Akbar chairman of the grouping on Saturday. Akbar defeated former minister of defense and security affairs Gen. (ret.) Edi Sudradjat in the election.
In an apparent bid to consolidate support and accommodate his rivals Akbar then expanded the executive board from 45 members to 138.
"I was really looking forward to everybody's support because I believe that after the congress there should no longer be any differences between us," Akbar remarked.
Dislike
Indra was offered the position of deputy secretary-general, one of 13 such posts on the new board. Didit was named as one of the six people charged with guiding the party to victory in next year's general election. Both men were known for their close relations with the family of former president Soeharto.
"From what I can understand from the statements issued by Indra and Didit there was no indication that they disapproved of my leadership. I have the impression that they just felt uncomfortable with the executive board," Akbar noted.
Akbar acknowledged that he announced the lineup of Golkar's executive board on Sunday before he had undertaken sufficient consultation with all 137 people he had chosen.
"My time was very limited. I only had 3.5 hours and so I did not have enough time to contact all of them," Akbar explained.
Salim Said, a well known military analyst, refused the post of coordinator of Golkar's research and development department.
"I feel that I'm not a politician. I'm a political observer, I'm a political scholar and a political commentator. I want to remain independent," Salim told journalists yesterday.
Speaking to reporters after attending a ceremony to install the new Jakarta Military Commander here yesterday, Salim said his refusal had nothing to do with the new leadership.
"Although I support Golkar's aspirations, namely to be a modern party and an all-Indonesian party, I do not want to be included in the executive board's lineup," Salim remarked.
The number of people refusing posts on the board could increase further.
Deputy chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights Marzuki Darusman, who was named as a deputy secretary general in the new lineup, said he needed a few more days before deciding whether or not to accept the appointment.
"I still have to decide if my inclusion was for the right reasons," he told The Jakarta Post last night. He said he hoped he had been offered the post because of the Golkar leadership's desire to institute change and reform. (prb/ivy/byg)