Golkar Party leaders still up to old tricks.

(From The Jakarta Post)

The Golkar Party's presidential candidates were still intent on testing their political support when chairman Akbar Tandjung recently delayed the process until after the legislative elections in April 2004. The Jakarta Post's Slamet Susanto spoke with political researcher Riswandha Imawan of Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University about the issue. The following is an excerpt of the interview:

Question: How do you see the convention of the Golkar Party?

Answer: It is a brilliant breakthrough. The timing, too, is quite right given that people are beginning to see that reformasi is moving backward. They are tempted to a New Order romanticism. Five years of reform has yet to result in significant change. It is through the convention that independent candidates that are rooted in the community are expected to come out, so that theoretically the function of the political party is exercised.

The …