"I have reached an anti-climax in Golkar. And I also believe that Golkar no longer needs people like me. And I also no longer need Golkar," he said.Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The general chairman of the Nasional Demokrat mass organization, Surya Paloh, said that Golkar no longer needed him and therefore he had decided to resign from the party.
"I have reached an anti-climax in Golkar. And I also believe that Golkar no longer needs people like me. And I also no longer need Golkar," he said at a press conference at the Nasional Demokrat headquarters here on Wednesday.
Paloh however said that his resignation from Golkar was not the end of his political career and he also believed his political career would not end with his resignation from the party.
"I have just reached an anti-climax. I saw my face in the mirror just now and I think I am not very old yet. So it would be quite regrettable if I had to be on anti-climax in everything," he said.
The former chief of the Golkar Party advisory board denied that the momentum of the 2014 presidential election was the reason behind his decision.
"Frankly speaking I have not thought of running for president. It is still too early for the 2014 event. A lot of things may still occur in the next three years," he said adding he would focus on social projects in the Nasional Demokrat mass organization that he had established.
Paloh said he had taken long consideration before deciding to resign from Golkar. "I have considered what is the best for me, Golkar and the public. This is not an easy decision to make," he said.
He said it was not easy for him to make the decision because he has been in Golkar for the past 43 years starting from being a common member and later leading its youth wing and finally being an advisory board chief.
He said he made the decision because Golkar did not give a room for his ideas for a change. Even his Nasional Demokrat organization has been seen as a threat although it is not meant to metamorphose into a political party, he said.
He said he considered Golkar was no longer able to accommodate efficiently progressive ideas that carry high moral values and therefore the party has been abandoned.
He referred to the votes the party gathered in the general elections so far. He said in the 1999 general elections the party could collect 24 percent of votes but in 2004 its vote collection dropped to 20 percent and in 2004 to only 14 percent.
"There has been a declining tendency. So we certainly are thinking what has happened, what has been wrong," he said. (*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
