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Yudhoyono to keep his clout over Democratic Party chair
While the chairmanship race of the ruling Democratic Party has begun to heat up, analysts say the new figure at the helm will not likely be the one steering
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hile the chairmanship race of the ruling Democratic Party has begun to heat up, analysts say the new figure at the helm will not likely be the one steering.
Indobarometer political survey institute director Muhammad Qodari said it was evident that whoever won the post would not make any big changes to the party since its decision making seemed to remain the sole privilege of its chief patron, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Quoting Yudhoyono’s speech before party members during their national coordination meeting in Jakarta on Saturday, Qodari said the President had suggested the establishment of an internal body, led by himself, tasked with producing “strategic” decisions.
“The High Assembly will be headed by the party’s chief patron, who is Yudhoyono himself, while the elected chairman will be his deputy,” Qodari said.
The “strategic” decisions the assembly would make would include the selection of candidates for president and vice president, governors, deputies and legislators; as well as with whom the party would coalesce, he said.
“It is clear SBY wants to maintain his influence over the party.”
Qodari said unlike the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), whose chairwoman, Megawati Soekarnoputri, was seen as the “central decision maker”, the highest authority in the Democratic Party was currently vested in its chief patron, Yudhoyono.
Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) political expert Siti Zuhro echoed Qodari’s statement, saying there had always been one voice in the Democratic Party: Yudhoyono’s.
The Democratic Party lacked “internal dynamics”, with all party executives and members seeming to bow to Yudhoyono’s orders, she said. This was in stark contrast to the more senior Golkar Party, which had seen bitter rivalry between its executives and whose chairman determined the party’s political direction, Siti said.
Arbi Sanit from the University of Indonesia said it was hard to conceal the fact that Yudhoyono had interfered and would always intervene in the party’s decision making. He said the party lacked senior figures who could provide alternative influences.
Youth and Sports Minister Andi Mallarangeng, currently the deputy chairman of the Democratic Party, officially declared his chairmanship bid on Sunday evening.
If elected, Andi said, he would boost the party’s vote gain in the upcoming legislative elections from 7.5 percent in 2004 and 21 percent in 2009 to more than 30 percent in 2014. He said he would achieve this by “modernizing” the Democratic Party’s organizational structure, working mechanisms and relations between its central, provincial and municipal branches.
Andi would be challenged by other party deputy chairmen including House of Representatives Speaker Marzuki Alie and House Democratic Party chairman Anas Urbaningrum.
Andi, Marzuki and Anas have been reported as the front-runners in the race for the top seat, leading over two other deputy chairmen, Agus Hermanto and Ja’far Hafsah, who are less well known.
The current chairman is retired colonel Hadi Utomo, the husband of Yudhoyono’s sister-in-law. The new chairman for the 2010-2015 period will be chosen during the party’s national congress, scheduled for May 21-23 in Bandung.
Yudhoyono’s youngest son Edhie Baskoro Yudhoyono, currently a lawmaker representing the party, said he would not vie for the party chairman post in April.
“I’m a still a junior or a ‘child-under-five’ cadre… I still need to learn a lot about politics and other things, and concentrate on my job as a member of the House,” Edhie said at a press conference after the party’s Saturday meeting.
