To disband Golkar or not?

To disband Golkar or not?

From Rakyat Merdeka

Amid intensified rallies staged by supporters of President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid on one hand and anti Gus Dur demonstrations on the other, out of the blue groups of university students and people took to the streets demanding the disbanding of the Golkar Party. It is not clear whether this demand has been made to the government or the House of Representatives.

Two days after this anti-Golkar rally, Gus Dur's supporters in East Java ran amok and set fire to Golkar local offices and Muhammadiyah-owned schools. They insisted, in line with the proposal that East Java legislative body suggested to the House, that the memorandum that the House had sent to Gus Dur be revoked. Akbar (Tandjung) was furious and vowed to resort to legal channels. He asked the police to probe into this incident, in the name of law enforcement.

We agree. It is not necessary for Akbar to set up a special committee to deal with this matter, as he can just leave the matter to the police. Isn't he now working and thinking hard, with the financial resources he can mobilize, to speed up Gus Dur's fall? His concentration must not in any way be disturbed by a trivial matter. Making efforts to topple Gus Dur is more important than dealing with the popular demand that Golkar be dissolved.

Strangely, two days later, as quoted in Rakyat Merdeka of Feb. 9, 2001, Akbar, who was previously very insistent on reporting to the police the vandalism committed by Gus Dur's supporters to Golkar local offices that left material losses worth billions of rupiah, suddenly took a 180-degree change and blamed this vandalism on the communists, who have been completely eliminated. He has even pointed an accusing finger toward the Democratic People's Party (PRD), City Forum (FORKOT) and City Network (JARKOT).

Given that it is now the era of democracy, it is all right for Akbar to direct his accusation toward anybody. But he must remember that it is the court of law that will decide whether his accusation is right or not. It should not be like what the special committee of the House has done: acting like the court of law itself. On the other hand, if PRD, Forkot and Jarkot think that Akbar has slandered them, they must report this matter to the police.

It is all right to engage in mutual accusation. Akbar has accused the "red goats" as the perpetrators of the anarchic rallies but some people accuse Golkar as the culprit for Indonesia's poor condition at present.

So, I believe, there is nothing wrong with the popular demand that Golkar be disbanded. It will be up to the authorities to meet the demand or not. What matters is that we must all be alert over the latent danger posed by the New Order/Golkar.

E. SUHERMAN

Bandung