The Golkar Party ended a three-day national meeting here Sunday with its top figures refusing to include in its official decision demands by some local branches for the party to choose its own presidential candidate.
The refusal looks to have stalled a growing conflict within the party until after the legislative election in April 2009.
The leadership meeting instead ordered the Golkar central board to only establish a mechanism to select its presidential hopefuls through surveys and any other methods to ensure the party has an appropriate candidate for president.
The decision comes as a blow to many regional Golkar branches that had demanded the party nominate a figure from its own ranks as a presidential candidate during the meeting, or failing that, at least publish a list of candidates.
Vice President and Golkar chairman Jusuf Kalla, who closed the meeting on Sunday night, insisted the meeting was about how to win the legislative election, not the presidential poll.
"I thank you for nominating me (for the presidency). But it's too early, because what we should do is aim at making the party win," Kalla said.
He added an increase in votes for Golkar would improve the party's bargaining position and thus make it possible to nominate a presidential candidate.
Earlier, scores of the party's provincial branches urged the Golkar central board to nominate its own presidential candidate for the 2009 election.
Besides Kalla, other Golkar stalwarts touted as presidential hopefuls include chief patron and media magnate Surya Paloh, deputy chairman Agung Laksono, Yogyakarta Governor Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, former chairman Akbar Tandjung, Gorontalo Governor Fadel Muhammad, Coordinating Minister for the People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie, Regional Representatives Council Speaker Ginandjar Kartasasmita and National Resilience Institute governor Muladi.
"There is no list of nominees. We will commit to talk about presidential candidates after the legislative election, in a special meeting," said Yorris Raweyai, head of the meeting's organizing committee.
Driven by young Golkar figures, including Fadel and legislator Yuddy Chrisnandi, as well as party senior politician Surya Paloh, the call for the party to have its own presidential candidate was supported by many provincial chapters, including those in Lampung, West Java, Yogyakarta, South East Sulawesi, North Sulawesi, Gorontalo, East Nusa Tenggara, Papua and North Maluku.
"We must have our own candidate," declared Paloh.
However, with some party figures worried the nomination of a presidential candidate would distract Golkar from the legislative election, and with others supporting Kalla's intention to run again with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, party leaders decided to delay talks on presidential candidates.
"We must be realistic. If several recent surveys show that our own figures have low popularity compared to Megawati (Soekarnoputri) or Yudhoyono, then we should not force the nomination of our own candidate. Logically, what we should do is to nominate a vice president from the two leading figures," said Golkar deputy secretary-general Rully Chairul Azwar, a close aide of Kalla's.
Kalla has already hinted he would run again with incumbent President Yudhoyono of the Democratic Party, with the President also indicating he would team up with Kalla.
Kalla's statement has sparked criticism from some Golkar faithfuls who accuse him of disgracing the party by refusing to nominate a Golkar presidential candidate.
Last week, the Golkar-affiliated Central Organization for Indonesian Employees (Soksi) publicly nominated Hamengkubuwono as its presidential candidate from the country's largest party.
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