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Golkar Party strives to regain golden history
The report is the second of a series on Golkar’s strategy in the coalition and for winning the 2014 general elections
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em>The report is the second of a series on Golkar’s strategy in the coalition and for winning the 2014 general elections.
Further to go: Golkar Party supporters travel to Depok, West Java, to a rally. For the 32 years of the New Order, Golkar was usually the ruling party. The 2009 elections showed it had become the second largest party. Golkar leaders seek to regain the top slot in the 2014 elections. JP/P.J. Leo With the help of senior politicians such as Akbar Tandjung and Cosmas Batubara and with the support of young party activists, Golkar has reiterated its support of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s government until 2014.
Despite opposition from smaller political parties, Golkar has vowed to increase the parliamentary threshold to five percent from the current level of 2.5 percent during an upcoming revision of electoral laws.
The move has been viewed as an endeavor to simplify the multiparty system and form an effective, strong government in the future.
Golkar chairman Aburizal “Ical” Bakrie said the party supported increasing the electoral threshold due to the current ineffective multiparty system and due to optimism on Golkar’s chances in the next general election.
“We want only five to six political parties in parliament,to phase out the coalition tradition and to uphold the presidential system,” he said, adding that Golkar also wanted the parliamentary threshold to be implemented at the provincial, regional and municipal levels across Indonesia.
On national issues, the party said deteriorating nationalism could be attributed to rampant sectarian conflict, increasing intolerance by Muslims, terrorism and rampant corruption and urged the government to revitalize the Pancasila state ideology and uphold the rule of law.
“Golkar has no authority to directly handle national issues because it is not an executive body.
Internally, the party has decided to go to the villages to absorb popular political aspirations,” he said.
On the result of a recent Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI) report, Ical said it was optimistic that the party would win the next general election.
“Golkar won 53 percent of the local elections held over the last year and, according to the survey, the public has pinned their hopes for 2014 on Golkar due to dissatisfaction with other major political parties,” Ical said.
Suhardiman, one of Golkar’s founders, said he was proud that the party survived Soeharto’s fall in 1998.
Golkar should be able to restore the idea of a unitary Indonesian state that has been damaged by federalist-style regional autonomy and alleviate the poverty affecting at least 40 million people despite the country’s 65 years of independence, he said.
“As a nationalist party, Golkar must be on the front line of the war on sectarianism, federalism, corruption and many other national issues that have hindered the nation in catching up with developed countries,” he said.
Centre for Strategic Internatio-nal Studies (CSIS) political analyst J. Kristiadi said Golkar has been discussing nationalism and the rule of law in an apparent move to revitalize its identity as a nationalist party and win the hearts of the people, but in reality had not changed.
“Under Ical’s leadership, the party has done nothing to cope with rampant sectarian conflicts, terrorism, corruption and many other national issues. It has spent too much time to establish its reputation with the public [and cannot] improve its image and protect Ical’s business group,” he said.
“Ical is able to do so only because he has money. In its everyday appearance, Golkar is no different from other parties and has been used as tool to protect its elites’ interests,” Kristiadi said.
He said he was skeptical that Golkar was serious in its proposals to strengthen nationalism and uphold the rule of law since many of its leaders have been allegedly involved in graft cases, adding that Ical and his faction knew little about the art of politics.
University of Indonesia political analyst Arbi Sanit said he was critical of Golkar’s political games in its attempt to deceive the public. He said that Golkar would not be a major force for change until it abandoned its political camouflage.
“Under Ical’s leadership, Golkar has done nothing to improve the people’s social welfare, fight corruption or alleviate poverty,” Arbi said.
Golkar Party timeline
• Oct. 20, 1964: Golkar was officially set up by nationalists and the Indonesian Military.
• 1968–1998: Golkar supported former president Soeharto’s regime, winning majorities in six general elections
• 1999: Golkar was condemned and dissolved by then president Abdurraham “Gus Dur” Wahid, but later revived under the leadership of Akbar Tandjung.
• 2004: Under Akbar Tandjung, Golkar won 14 percent of the vote in legislative elections, losing Indonesia’s first-ever direct presidential election.
• 2009: Under Jusuf Kalla, Golkar won 15.5 percent of the vote in legislative elections, losing the presidency to Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
• 2010: Under Aburizal Bakrie, Golkar proposed that the government proclaim Soeharto a national hero.
