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Govt won't rush in with Golkar to control House
The government has refused to immediately legalize Agung Laksono as Golkarâs new chairman despite the latterâs pledge to take the party into the coalition of President Joko âJokowiâ Widodo
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he government has refused to immediately legalize Agung Laksono as Golkar's new chairman despite the latter's pledge to take the party into the coalition of President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo.
Agung, a former coordinating people's welfare minister, was named Golkar chairman in a breakaway congress in Jakarta early on Monday.
The congress was organized by the party's splinter faction, also led by Agung, which did not recognize the congress held by rival Aburizal Bakrie in Bali, a week earlier.
Agung's camp moved fast and worked overnight to form his own lineup and submit the congress outcome to the Law and Human Rights Ministry for approval.
A few hours later, Aburizal also submitted his congress' outcome to the ministry.
'We will assess which leadership is legal [based on Golkar internal rules],' Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna H. Laoly, a politician with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said at the Presidential Palace on Monday, adding that he had formed a team to analyze documents submitted by both factions.
The 2011 Law on Political Parties stipulates that the government has seven days to legalize a party's national executive members after submission.
'We have been communicating with both factions. They are all my good friends,' Yasonna said, denying reports that Agung's faction had asked Kalla to intervene on the ministry's assessment.
Agung said that he wanted Golkar to play a role as 'the government's critical partner'.
'We will leave the Red-and-White Coalition but that does not mean we are automatically joining the Great Indonesia Coalition,' Agung said after the closing ceremony of the Jakarta congress.
'I will bring Golkar back to its original doctrine as a political party that is always with the government,' he said in contradiction to Aburizal's promise to maintain Golkar's position as the leader of the opposition camp.
If the Agung-led Golkar was legalized, the Red-and-White Coalition would be effectively weakened as Golkar is the second-biggest party in the House of Representatives after the PDI-P.
Jokowi and the PDI-P have been vying to control the House by luring Golkar and the National Mandate Party (PAN) to join their coalition and form a House majority.
Agung won the votes over chairman candidates Priyo Budi Santoso and Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita.
Both losing candidates are now serving as Golkar deputy chairmen in Agung's lineup.
Agung's camp has also proposed appointing Vice President Jusuf Kalla as the chairman of the party's advisory council.
In response to the proposal, Kalla said, 'I appreciate it but I need to think about it because Jokowi and I, as well as all ministers, have committed not to be actively engaged in political party activities.'
Kalla said that he was not in a position to choose which congress was legitimate. 'But I appreciate the one that was more democratic,' he said.
Aburizal, meanwhile, expressed his optimism that Yasonna would decide in favor of his faction.
'Very few people came to the [Jakarta congress]. The public could tell which [version of leadership] is legitimate and which is not,' Aburizal said after handing over his congress outcome to Yasonna.
Also on Monday, it was revealed that Agung's camp had filed a lawsuit with the Central Jakarta District Court to challenge Aburizal's new chairmanship and the Bali congress.
'We have formed a legal team consisting of about 100 lawyers. Among them are noted advocates such as Todung and Buyung,' Agung said, referring to Todung Mulya Lubis and Adnan Buyung Nasution.
