‘Lust’ for money and power hinders Golkar’s future leaders from developing

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Tue, 07/14/2009 5:45 PM  |  Election 2009

A young executive with the Golkar Party says a lack of financial backing has been the stumbling block for younger members gunning for a key position in the party structure.

“There are a lot of young men in Golkar who are ready to step up and hold an important leadership role. However, the reality kicks in when they realize integrity and idealism mean nothing in Golkar. What really matters is financial power,” Golkar legislator Yuddy Chrisnandi said Tuesday.

“Worse, a lot of people within Golkar do not realize that the party’s main weakness is having too much lust for money and power. Such a desire has been a growing tradition within the ranks of the party’s older generations, and in the end has led to the party’s downfall in both the legislative and presidential election.”
 
Golkar only gained 14 percent of the votes in the April 9 legislative election, down from about 21 percent in the 2004 polls. Its chairman and presidential candidate Jusuf Kalla only managed to draw around 12 percent of the votes in the July 8 presidential election, according to various independent surveys.

In stark contrast, Golkar’s rival, the Democratic Party (PD), secured more than 20 percent of the votes in the legislative elections, making it the biggest faction in the incoming House of Representatives.
 
PD’s presidential candidate, incumbent President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), looks to have won another 5 years in office after garnering around 60 percent of the votes in election early July.

“Golkar’s old elite should reflect on these losses. They must admit they failed to lead the party and therefore should resign to give the younger generation a chance,” Yuddy said.

A political researcher from the Indonesia Institute of Sciences, Lili Romli, said changing the leadership guard at Golkar was an urgent requirement.

“Give the younger members a chance to lead. There are many young Golkar members who are more than capable of developing into great leaders,” he said. (hdt)
  
 

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