TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Golkar candidate promises to abolish culture of political dowries
Change Size
Upbeat – A would-be candidate to be chairman of the Golkar Party, Priyo Budi Santoso, speaks to journalists in Jakarta on Thursday. (Kompas.com/Nabilla Tashandra)
A
would-be candidate to be Golkar Party chairman, Priyo Budi Santoso, has expressed his willingness to abolish brokerage practices that have long tainted political parties in Indonesia, including his own.
“If I’m elected to be Golkar Party chairman, I will abolish all kinds of political dowries,” he said as quoted by kompas.com in Jakarta on Monday.
Priyo said he was sad to see excessive news about Indonesia’s political parties, which had turned into political brokerage vehicles. He said there was an ongoing effort to depoliticize political parties in the country.
“This depoliticization should become a ‘medicine’ for political parties to be more willing to respond to criticisms. As a democratic country, in which the implementation of democracy has even been stronger than in the US, we should not have suspicions against political parties,” said Priyo.
The senior Golkar member added that the current distrust against political parties would lead to their fall while all this time political parties were the pillars of democracy. He wanted activists to come forward to lead Indonesia’s political parties.
“I want to ensure our activists dare to lead a political party. If political parties can serve only as bunkers for problematic figures, this is a sign of the destruction of political parties in the country,” said Priyo.
Earlier, Priyo said he had seven important steps he called “Sapta Krida” that he would take if he was elected to be the party chairman.
In the first step, Priyo said he would rebuild the close collaboration that once existed between Golkar and what was then the Indonesian Armed Forces (now the Indonesian Military and National Police) and bureaucrats. He said the relationship must be set up to resemble a family atmosphere.
“There will be retired police and military officials as well as teachers and civil servants I will involve to develop this party. We have been a bit careless, not involving them [in developing the party],” said Priyo on Monday.
The politician added that he would also involve activists in developing the party. “Activists who have revolted against the government have been long absent from Golkar. We have to involve them to jointly build the party. Golkar and NGO leaders must work together,” said Priyo.
In his second step, Priyo said he would highlight the importance of a personal branding for a figure in Golkar. He said a Golkar chairman must have positive values that he or she would uphold when communicating with society. A Golkar chairman must be populist, he said.
“How can a Golkar Party chairman show him or herself as bourgeois? It will bring loss upon us. If elected, I will call all Golkar members not to show lavish lifestyles,” said Priyo.
Third, Priyo said he would give a greater chance to young people to lead the party. Allowing a youth to lead a party would minimize risks to the party, he said.
Building a party headquarters that would serve not only as a command center but also as a center for people to convey their aspirations is the fourth step. As the fifth step, Priyo said, Golkar must take over leadership positions in the regions. The 2017 regional election was a crucial test case for Golkar, he added.
Priyo further said that the developing of party members was another critical step he would take to ensure the continuity of Golkar.
As the last step, Priyo said he wanted to promote a dignified form of politics in the party. He said Golkar should not only pursue power, but also must push forward ethics in Indonesian politics.
“These seven steps are not just a concept, but have been embodied in me,” said Priyo.
