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Golkar 'not after Cabinet seats'
Mediation: Vice-President and former Golkar Party chairman Jusuf Kalla, flanked by Aburizal Bakrie and Agung Laksono, both of whom laid claim to being the party's legal chairman, talk to journalists on the sidelines of a reconciliation event at Golkar's central executive board in Slipi, West Jakarta, on Sunday
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Mediation: Vice-President and former Golkar Party chairman Jusuf Kalla, flanked by Aburizal Bakrie and Agung Laksono, both of whom laid claim to being the party's legal chairman, talk to journalists on the sidelines of a reconciliation event at Golkar's central executive board in Slipi, West Jakarta, on Sunday. (Kompas.com/Fabian Januarius Kuwado) (Kompas.com/Fabian Januarius Kuwado)
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span class="inline inline-center">Mediation: Vice-President and former Golkar Party chairman Jusuf Kalla, flanked by Aburizal Bakrie and Agung Laksono, both of whom laid claim to being the party's legal chairman, talk to journalists on the sidelines of a reconciliation event at Golkar's central executive board in Slipi, West Jakarta, on Sunday. (Kompas.com/Fabian Januarius Kuwado)
Golkar's splinter faction chairman, Agung Laksono, has said the party is not prioritizing the acquisition of Cabinet seats in President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo's and Vice President Jusuf Kalla's administration.
'For me, [acquiring Cabinet seats] is not yet needed. It's not a priority [...],' he said as quoted by kompas.com on Monday. The politician was speaking at the Golkar Party central executive board (DPP) office in Slipi, West Jakarta, on Sunday evening.
Agung said the most pressing matter for Golkar was to unite the two rival leaderships in the party, adding that there should not be two factions.
In a reconciliation meeting held in Jakarta on Sunday evening, the Golkar leadership led by Aburizal Bakrie, who was elected at a party national meeting (Munas) in Riau in 2009, and the splinter faction led by Agung agreed to reconcile, although the technical procedures of the reconciliation had yet to be completed. Golkar officials said during the meeting that the party was supporting the Jokowi-Kalla administration wholeheartedly, with a 'loyal but critical' stance.
'That means we will aim to alter any government policy we deem not in the people's interests, but we will not aim to bring down the government or incite chaos,' said Agung.
'We will be loyal to what has been decided. However, we will not blindly support any policy. We will correct a policy if necessary, but the adjustment must be constructive,' said the former coordinating people's welfare minister.
Agung went on to say that before the national gathering was held on Sunday evening, he had been asked by several Golkar senior leaders to meet with Aburizal.
Agung said that in the meeting, he and Aburizal had agreed that the disputes in the party must be brought to an end. (ebf)
