Jakarta backs Surya for Golkar leadership

Jakarta's provincial Golkar branch Thursday officially announced its support for media magnate Surya Paloh to take over leadership of the party.

The announcement increased the stakes in the competition as the three other candidates contesting the post continue to garner support from other branches.

Head of Golkar's Jakarta branch, Ade Surapriatna, said the decision to support Surya was made after analyzing the urgent need for "strong" leadership to save Golkar from "bankruptcy".

"Surya has good leadership skills and the loyalty needed to uphold the party," Ade told a press conference.

"The next national congress should be used as the time for the party to wake-up if they want to win the legislative and presidential elections in 2014."

The Golkar Party is scheduled to hold its national congress in Pekanbaru, the provincial capital of Riau, from Oct. 4 to Oct. 7 with the agenda of electing a new chairman to replace Jusuf Kalla, who is also the outgoing Vice President.

The party's steering committee has obliged candidates wishing to run for the leadership to provide signatures, as a tangible show of support, from the chairmen and secretaries of at least 30 percent of the party's branches.

In a related development, the East Java provincial branch organized a "small-scale" fit and proper test inviting all candidates to deliver their vision and mission to convince the party's branches to support them.

But, the candidates gave cool responses as only Surya and legislator Yuddy Chrisnandi are attending the event.

Hopefuls Aburizal Bakrie, who is the Coordinating Minister for the People's Welfare, and Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, the youngest son of late former president Soeharto, failed to show up until Thursday.

Chairman of the Golkar-affiliated Central Organization for Indonesian Employees (Soksi), Rendra Kresna, said that 24 heads of the party's branches out of 38 across East Java, had provided written support for Aburizal to be in the top seat.

"The branch heads have signed letters of support for Aburizal. Seven heads of other branches also supported Aburizal, but only orally," Rendra said Wednesday.

Legislator Yuddy, the first candidate to announce his bid for the party's top seat, praised the event organized by the East Java provincial branch.

He said that it would provide a chance for branch offices to consider the best candidates for the future of the party.

"If all the provincial branches could conduct such an event, I am sure Golkar would get a qualified chairman who would be able to develop the party," said Yuddy, who has claims to have the support of 70 heads of provincial and regental party branches.

He said the Golkar party was currently lacking the idealism and initiative needed to build the party. "The pragmatism "virus" is currently dominating the party," he said.

In delivering his vision, Surya said he would also wipe out the culture of pragmatism in the party and fight for the interests of the party. "Golkar will be the party critical of government policies," he said.

Wahyoe Boediwardhana also contributed to this story from Malang.