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Democratic Party continues to support and oppose Jokowi

The Democratic Party has thrown its weight behind President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, but it is also maintaining that it would continue to be an active opposition to his government

Margareth S. Aritonang (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Mon, July 6, 2015

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Democratic Party continues to support and oppose Jokowi

T

he Democratic Party has thrown its weight behind President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo, but it is also maintaining that it would continue to be an active opposition to his government.

'€œThe Democratic Party stance is clear. We will support any policies from the President as long as they are consistent with what the people want,'€ the Democratic Party chairman, former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, said during the party'€™s national leadership meeting on Sunday.

The party, however, would not hesitate to criticize Jokowi if he made policies that would not be aimed at solving the problems plaguing the country.

Yudhoyono also said that his political party would not meddle in how the government runs the country and would leave all decisions to Jokowi and the political parties in his coalition.

'€œIt would be unethical if the Democratic Party interferes with the government'€™s work,'€ Yudhoyono said.

Over the weekend, the Democratic Party convened a national meeting to induct the party'€™s new central board members.

Several figures who were inaugurated included former justice minister Amir Syamsuddin as the party'€™s chairman of the Supreme Council, former transportation minister E. E. Mangindaan as the deputy chairman of the Supreme Council, prominent lawyer Hinca Pandjaitan as the party'€™s secretary-general and Edhie Baskoro '€œIbas'€ Yudhoyono as chairman for the party'€™s general election committee.

Absent from the line-up was former House of Representatives speaker Marzuki Alie.

Earlier on Saturday, Marzuki Alie had given signals he would quit the party. '€œHaving no more jobs in the party, there is no more space to do something for the Democratic Party,'€ he said.

Marzuki, who is a former deputy chairman of the party'€™s patron board, said he actually wished to play a role in the party, but after finding out he was no longer included in the 2015 to 2020 structure and was not invited to join the party'€™s national work meeting, he preferred to quit.

Over the weekend, the national leadership meeting deliberated a number of key issues affecting the party'€™s future.

On Saturday, party members agreed to enact a plan that would mandate party members to sign an integrity pact before they run as candidates in the regional elections slated for Dec. 9.

'€œCandidates may not always be party members, but we have prepared an integrity pact to be signed by them,'€ Mangindaan said.

Mangindaan said that candidates could come from party branches and would later be screened by the party'€™s provincial chapters before they were nominated to the central executive board.

Regarding candidates for gubernatorial elections, they would only get the go-ahead from Yudhoyono.

Responding to questions about candidates who resorted to money politics, the party'€™s deputy secretary-general, Ikhsan Modjo, said that it would not be possible.

'€œTo my knowledge no one would dare do it because if the party chairman found out about it, he would fire them,'€ he said.

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