Govt Denies Intervening in Internal Conflict of Golkar Party

Jakarta (Antara) -- Vice President Jusuf Kalla denied that the government intervened in the internal conflict of the Golkar Party by not allowing it to hold a congress in Bali. "We did not intervene. However, the government would like to remind those involved about the security threat it (the congress) would pose in Bali, which is a tourism destination. What will happen if there are riots there and people fight using daggers? What will the world say about it?" he told newsmen at his office here on Wednesday. He added that parties could actually hold a congress anywhere as long as security authorities could assure that a clash, like the one that took place at the Golkar Party headquarters in Slipi, Jakarta, recently, will not happen. "A congress can be held anywhere as long as security authorities guarantee that it will be controlled. This does not translate to an intervention. The government's action must be seen from a security point of view," he stated. (*)