Golkar History: Initiated By Soekarno, Raised By Suharto

Golkar Campaign in the 1971 General Election. (Perpusnas)

JAKARTA - The presence of a multiparty system has a negative impact on the government of the Old Order. This condition made people's livelihoods the umpteenth number. Soekarno was furious, no joke. Bung Karno initiated the anti-party functional group (Golkar) Golkar Secretary.

All kinds of people join from the military to laborers. Suharto and the New Order New Order took the Golkar Sekber existence baton. This condition made Golkar a political tool for the New Order which was effective to 32 years in power.

The behavior of the state's life with a multiparty system does not run smoothly. This condition often makes the executive confused. Instead of making it easier for many parties to take sides with the people, many parties are busy sharing and fighting for power.

The life of the people is the umpteenth number. This portrait does not only take place in world countries. Indonesia itself experienced it in the Soekarno era of government and the Old Order. Bung Karno was furious, not playing.

He also wanted the presence of the anti-party functional group. A notion of collaboration between his thoughts, Soepomo and Ki Hajar Dewantara. Soekarno's concerns are being realized by the Army military.

They initiated the formation of the West Irian National Liberation Front (FNPIB) on January 7, 1958. His presence was considered urgent. His name is only FNPIB. However, the purpose of the FNPIB is to be able to match the strength of the existing parties, especially the Indonesian communist Party (PKI).

AH Nasution became chairman. Soekarno also approved it. Soekarno then felt that FNPIB had to be strengthened. He initiated the change of FNPIB to become the National Front on December 31, 1959. The goal was expanded. Initially, West Irian's release became an effort to resolve the national revolution.

Organizations that were once free from the influence of political parties began to be disrupted. Political parties began to want them to take part in the National Front. Their presence is considered a path for the National Front to reach the wider community.

The party began to get involved. The PKI began to show its dislike. They tried to interfere with the military's existence in the National Front. This disturbance made other organizations immediately cooperate with the military to present the Golkar Secretary on October 19, 1964. In particular, the Golkar Secretary received the blessing of Bung Karno.

The incident occurred on 19 October 1964 evening, 24 years ago, in the hall of the National Front Secretariat, Jalan Merdeka Selatan 13 Jakarta. On that night, 35 functional organizations with the same intentions were present: joining forces to build a new group characterized by a federative character. The next morning, 97 organizations unanimously declared their intention to join the Golkar Secretary.

The basic budget and household budget, which had been prepared previously, were briefly discussed, and accepted with several changes. Then, the big meeting mandated that a daily leadership council be formed immediately. The meeting was over. Meanwhile, outside the secretariat building, demonstrations took place by the ranks of the People's Youth, organizations under the PKI flag. The demonstrators brandished banners that read: Disband the Golkar Secretary," said Putut Tri Husodo and Priyono B. Sumbogo in his article in Tempo magazine entitled Golkar, Since Midnight Night, 24 (1988).

The existence of the Golkar Secretary did not necessarily sound when Soekarno and the old Order fell. The Golkar Secretary was able to breathe a sigh of relief because Suharto and the New Order wanted his presence. The Golkar Secretary became a political tool of the New Order.

It is possible that at that time the Golkar Secretary was not known as a traditional political party. However, the New Order can do everything. The Golkar Secretary began to be hijacked and the name was enough Golkar in the early 1970s. The goal is that Golkar can participate in the election and succeed in 1971.

The collaboration between New Order and Golkar also reached its peak in the years that followed. Golkar continues to dominate the celebration of the people's parties, elections. Whoever fights Suharto, New Order, and Golkar will surely fall. Golkar members are everywhere. Even militant cadres are hoarding.

Golkar is like the safety of Suharto and New Order's powers for up to 32 years. This experience made Golkar survive all kinds of trials. The proof is that Golkar was not destroyed when Suharto and the New Order collapsed in 1998.

Golkar also tried to throw away the attributes of the New Order. As a result, Golkar began to follow the will of the people to become a political party. Golkar was officially changed from a functional organization to a political party in 1998. The presentation brought impressive results, even until this writing was made.

Golkar was able to emerge as one of the strong political parties in the reform era. Their voices remain strong. The mass base is maintained. If something changes, Golkar is no longer inhabited by many classes of works from various backgrounds. Because, only a group is dominated by Golkar leaders: Entrepreneurs Group.

The government is also trying its best to paralyze existing political parties through intervention policies. The goal is to isolate the influential leaders and to secure obedient leadership in these parties.

"More importantly, before the general election was held, the New Order regime had also prepared its new political vehicle to win the general election, namely the Joint Group of Works Secretariat which since August 17, 1971, known as the Work Group (Golkar)," explained Yudi Latif in the bookGenealogy Intelligence (2013).