THE warm meatball soup didn’t ease the serious discussion between the two men on Friday evening two weeks ago. Aburizal Bakrie, the host on Jalan Ki Mangun Sarkoro, Menteng, Central Jakarta, listened intently. His guest was the Golkar Party Chairman for Legal and Human Rights Affairs, Muladi.

To the Golkar General Chairman, Muladi conveyed a message from two senior party figures, Agung Laksono and Akbar Tandjung: the party should help the nine