T

he Golkar Party leadership under Aburizal Bakrie has called on the Law and Human Rights Ministry to issue a decree to recognize the party'€™s new leadership structure following the ministry'€™s decision to revoke the leadership of Agung Laksono.

The government has decided to comply with a Supreme Court verdict that annulled a decree recognizing Agung'€™s leadership. The verdict also ordered the party leadership to be returned to the structure formed at a national congress in Riau in 2009 and recognized Aburizal as party chairman.

Golkar secretary-general Idrus Marham of the Aburizal camp said on Sunday that recognizing the central board committee formed by Aburizal would effectively end the prolonged conflict that has plagued the nation'€™s oldest political party for more than a year, arguing that it would encourage Agung'€™s camp to lay down their arms.

Idrus made the statement in response to Agung'€™s suggestion that the ministry'€™s revocation of his leadership did not necessarily constitute recognition of Aburizal'€™s.

Idrus further said that the party would not hold a national congress to settle the conflict, as suggested by Agung'€™s camp and a number of senior Golkar members, adding that Aburizal would provide a win-win solution by including Agung and his followers on a leadership list to be submitted to the Law and Human Rights Ministry.

The party was plunged in late 2014 into a series of disputes that have seen Aburizal and Agung battling for government recognition.

The issue surrounding Aburizal'€™s leadership is his use of a structure set at a Bali congress deemed invalid by Agung'€™s camp.

Idrus said he would visit the ministry on Monday to discuss Aburizal'€™s intention to register a new committee line-up, which would incorporate Agung partisans, as an addition to the structure set up in Bali.

'€œIf the ministry agrees to approve the new committee line-up, then we will hold a consolidation meeting to include all members of the Golkar party including those from Agung'€™s camp, in the new leadership,'€ Idrus told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

The ministry earlier issued a decree to recognize Agung'€™s leadership after a Golkar internal tribunal issued a ruling in favor of Agung in March, though without explicitly naming him legitimate chairman.

In May, the Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN Jakarta) annulled a decree issued by Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna H. Laoly that endorsed the leadership of Agung, thus restoring the party'€™s leadership to Aburizal.

The annulled decree was later restored by the Jakarta State Administrative High Court (PTTUN Jakarta) before the Supreme Court finally annulled it in October, further stipulating that the PTUN decision be honored.

Separately, Golkar Party treasurer and Aburizal camp follower Bambang Soesatyo, who earlier supported calls to hold a national congress to resolve the conflict, said on Sunday that holding a congress was not the only solution.

The party, he said, would decide whether to hold an immediate congress during a meeting with regional Golkar representatives in Bali on Monday, adding that the party was preparing to hold a national meeting in Jakarta on Jan. 18.

A senior political analyst from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Syamsuddin Haris, meanwhile said on Sunday that the ministry'€™s revocation of Agung'€™s leadership did not provide any legal ground for Aburizal'€™s camp to lay claim to legitimacy.

'€œNow that the ministry has annulled the decree on Agung'€™s leadership, there is legally no legitimate leadership of Golkar. The annulment means the leadership reverts to the leadership that was formed during the party'€™s congress in 2009 in Riau, and the Riau leadership expired [on Dec. 31],'€ Syamsuddin said.

Legal battles, he added, would not offer a solution, as each camp would always find a new legal recourse to try to trump its rival.

'€œThe solution must be political, not legal. Agung and Aburizal should sit together to discuss the possibility of holding a congress in the near future,'€ he said.

On Thursday, Agung called for the Golkar'€™s party tribunal forum to rule for an immediate congress in January.

'€œIn order to maintain the existence of Golkar, holding a congress in January is the only means to fill the vacuum of power at the top of the party,'€ Agung said.
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