Jakarta – The chairman of the former ruling Golkar Party, Akbar Tandjung, said on Sunday that Indonesia would get a lot better when the party wins the general election in 2004 and takes control in the country again.

Speaking before Golkar supporters in Solok, West Sumatra, Akbar said that Golkar would be able to restore the welfare of most Indonesian to the level prevailing before the crisis. Akbar said that the people had now started to realize that life under Golkar was a lot better than the lives most people were living now.

"If Golkar turns out to be the winner [in the next general election] and again leads the country, then the life of this nation will become more peaceful, political life will be more stable, and the national economy will recover," he was quoted by Antara as saying.

Akbar, who is also the Speaker of the House of Representatives, noted that Golkar's upholding of Pancasila as its main ideology had proved an effective tool in uniting the nation.

He contended that Golkar never differentiated between people based on ethnic group nor religious affiliation, and therefore, it was able to create a more stable situation with higher economic growth.