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Tensions rise in Golkar as rivals attack Aburizal
Still wondering: Golkar Party senior leaders Akbar Tandjung (right) and MS Hidayat participate in an event to mark the 50th anniversary of the party, in Jakarta on Thursday
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Still wondering: Golkar Party senior leaders Akbar Tandjung (right) and MS Hidayat participate in an event to mark the 50th anniversary of the party, in Jakarta on Thursday. Golkar is currently designing a plan to revamp its leadership by inducting members of its younger generation in order to achieve its 2045 Vision. Antara/Wahyu Putro
A group of Golkar Party politicians vying for the party's top job have warned their incumbent chairman Aburizal Bakrie against abusing his authority to stay in power.
In a joint statement made on Thursday, the seven politicians ' lawmakers Airlangga Hartarto, Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita and Zainudin Amali, Golkar deputy chairman Agung Laksono, party executive Hajriyanto Thohari, former industry minister MS Hidayat and former lawmaker Priyo Budi Santoso ' called on the party's central executive board to organize an 'honest, transparent and accountable', selection process for the party's new chairman.
The joint statement was made after allegations were aired that several regional heads of the Golkar Party had become subject to intimidation ahead of the national congress.
'These people, for instance, threatened to dismiss those who refused to write a recommendation letter in support of his [Aburizal's reelection] bid,' said Agung, a former coordinating people's welfare minister.
The seven politicians, who had earlier announced their intentions to run as candidates to become party chairman, also demanded that Aburizal immediately give details about the party's upcoming congress, so that they could prepare themselves.
'I believe all candidates want to be good sports and see this chairmanship race run smoothly,' said Hidayat, a former trade minister under former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
A conflict has been brewing within the Golkar Party since it failed to secure a victory in the legislative elections on April 9. Many senior Golkar politicians blamed Aburizal's political maneuvering.
Opposition against Aburizal grew stronger following his decision to support the presidential bid of the Gerindra Party's Prabowo Subianto. Aburizal's decision to support the unsuccessful bid landed Golkar outside of the ruling circle for the first time in the party's 50-year history.
Party members who challenged Aburizal's moves had also reportedly been threatened with dismissal.
In August, Aburizal suspended Agung from his position as deputy chairman after he pushed for a national congress to find a new chairman before President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo was sworn in on Oct. 20.
The Golkar Party's last congress in 2009 gave Aburizal the party leadership until the party's next scheduled congress elects a new chairman in 2015.
Should the rival faction succeed in ousting Aburizal, Golkar would likely join the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P)-led coalition, which is aligned with the government of President Jokowi.
Golkar deputy secretary-general Lalu Mara Satria Wangsa, who is also an Aburizal aide, quickly denied allegations claiming that Aburizal had put pressure on the party's regional chapters to support his reelection bid.
'There is no such thing [as intimidation occurring]. Any support [for Aburizal] should come from their consciences, not by request,' he told The Jakarta Post.
As one of the country's oldest political parties, Golkar had previously undergone at least two major leadership changes in order to join a new government.
In 2004, Golkar joined the Democratic Party-led coalition, which nominated Susilo Bambang Yu-dhoyono and Jusuf Kalla, after then Golkar chairman Wiranto and his running mate Salahuddin Wahid lost the presidential contest. Supporters of Kalla managed to oust Wiranto and install Kalla as his successor.
In the 2009 election, the party also switched from nominating a Kalla-Wiranto ticket to joining the coalition of Yudhoyono, who won a second term. Kalla was ousted by Aburizal following his defeat in the presidential election.
Political analyst Said Salahuddin of People's Synergy for Democracy in Indonesia (Sigma) commented on the tensions within Golkar, saying that their escalation ahead of the Golkar chairmanship race was normal.
'This is part of a psychological battle to help them gain wider public attention. However, serious allegations like intimidation must first be crosschecked or they could turn into slander,' he said.
