Surya vows `to win back the people's hearts'

Media magnate Surya Paloh expressed his strong commitment to revitalizing the Golkar Party and improving its performance, especially in the 2014 general election, if he was elected to lead the party for five years.

Speaking before thousands of party functionaries and supporters at the Sports Stadium in Jayapura, Papua, on Thursday, Surya spelt out his program in a bid to convince his audience that he was serious about wanting to win the party chairmanship during the national congress.

"I see this candidacy as the only way of improving Golkar's performance in the future. Thus, if elected later on, I will require a lot of hard work from all cadres and functionaries at all levels to win back the people's hearts in the next general election," he said.

According to him, hard work was needed as Golkar was still at the crossroad following a series of losses in three consecutive general elections in 1999, 2004 and 2009.

"We have lost our objectivity in self-assessment, causing us to go in the wrong direction," he added.

Golkar won 15 percent of the total presidential votes, a decrease from 23 percent in 2004 and presidential candidate Jusuf Kalla was defeated.

Surya claimed political support from 11 Golkar provincial chapters, including Papua, North Sumatra and Bali and from hundreds of regency and municipal branches nationwide.

The party's statutes require candidates for the chairmanship must win support from at least ten percent of provincial branches and must have occupied positions at the party's executive board at all levels and in its affiliated organizations.

Papua is the first leg of his four-day road-show. The next provinces would be South Sulawesi, West Kalimantan, South Sumatra, West Sumatra and Central Java. Previously, Surya campaigned in North Sumatra, Jakarta, East Java and Bali.

Surya says he aims to make Golkar the main opposition party in parliament and to involve all officials and cadres in the regions to play an active role to help revive the party.

Hulda Wangober, head of Golkar regency branch in Supriori, said that on behalf of all regency/municipal branch officials in the province, he would fully support Surya's chairmanship as he had the idealism and concrete programs to save the party.

"We need a chairman who knows his way around in order to be able to win back the hearts of the people and their confidence," she said.

The Party would elect its new chairman at the national meeting from Oct 4. to 7. in Pekanbaru, Riau.

Besides Surya, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie, former president Soeharto's youngest son Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra and Golkar legislator Yuddhy Chrisnandi all said they would run for Chairman.

Aburizal who promised to donate Rp 1 trillion to build the party's human resources and networks, claims support from 29 provincial chapters but was deemed disqualified as he has never occupied key positions in the executive board and in affiliated mass organizations, as required.

Golkar Deputy Chairman Agung Laksono, defended Aburizal's eligibility, despite the disqualification.

"Aburizal is an active member of the executive board of the Golkar-affiliated Indonesian Employee Mass Organization (SOKSI). And he participated in the party's 2003 presidential candidate selection," he said.

Tommy's has raised controversy. Analysts warn the party could collapse if he were elected. (hdt)