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Aburizal, Agung aim to reconcile ahead of polls

As the registration deadline for the December regional elections approaches, the two competing camps in the Golkar Party are assessing options to settle their long-standing battle over the party’s leadership

Margareth S. Aritonang and Hasyim Widhiarto (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Fri, May 22, 2015

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Aburizal, Agung aim to reconcile ahead of polls

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s the registration deadline for the December regional elections approaches, the two competing camps in the Golkar Party are assessing options to settle their long-standing battle over the party'€™s leadership.

The initiative to seek common ground was finally made as Golkar is under foreseeable threat of being excluded from the elections due to the legal battle between the leaders of its two camps '€” Aburizal Bakrie and Agung Laksono '€” which seems unlikely to conclude before the General Elections Commission'€™s (KPU) deadline for political party registration on July 28.

A KPU regulation obliges every central board committee of a political party to submit a Law and Human Rights ministerial decree recognizing its leadership.

A political party with embattled leadership should submit a final and binding court ruling to recognize its official leadership, or the election committee would refer to the most recent ministerial decree issued on the party'€™s official leadership.

Agung said he was ready to seal a peaceful pact with his contender to enable Golkar to participate in the 269 local elections set to take place simultaneously beginning on Dec. 9; a gesture that was responded positively by Aburizal.

'€œI am ready to relent if we still face a deadlock ['€¦] for the sake of Golkar in facing the local elections,'€ Aburizal said in his speech before members of the Central Organization for Indonesian Employees (SOKSI), one of Golkar'€™s oldest affiliate organizations, in Cilegon, Banten, on Thursday as quoted by kompas.com.

Aburizal explained that a recent ruling by the Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN) that returned Golkar'€™s legitimate leadership to the central board committee established in the party'€™s 2009 national congress in Riau was already a signal for peace.

The Riau committee, led by Aburizal, also included Agung as a deputy chairman as well as some of the elites from his camp, such as Priyo Budi Santosa, Yorrys Raweyai and Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita.

Aburizal went on to highlight the urgency to compromise different interests to save Golkar throughout his speech, but in the end he stressed that '€œthe legal battle, however, must go on.'€

Separately, Aburizal supporter Idrus Marham reiterated such intention, highlighting that while the legal process was still under way; both camps could be united under the leadership of Aburizal.

The peace pact proposal from Aburizal, however, is different from the one voiced by Agung, who wants both camps to set up a joint team that would be in charge of participation in the December elections.

Agung also asked that the agreement include the transparent selection of candidates to represent Golkar in the elections, which according to him would end the long practiced favoritism culture within the party.

Established in 1964, Golkar enjoyed the position as the ruling party under president Soeharto'€™s administration.

Last year, Golkar came in second among the 10 political parties contesting the legislative elections. It, however, has been divided by infighting among party elites.

Political analyst Ray Rangkuti of the Indonesian Civilized Circle (Lima) considered the leadership disputes within Golkar and the United Development Party (PPP) as '€œinternal issues'€ that should not obstruct the upcoming local elections.

'€œShould the two parties fail to participate in the local elections [due to unsettled disputes], it would not affect the event because the other eight parties as well as potential independent candidates are still able to go ahead with their preparations to welcome the elections,'€ he said.

'€œThe greater public interests should not be abandoned because of disputes involving party elites.'€

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