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No sign of compromise as Aburizal's camp kicks off meeting
Chairman of Golkarâs internal dispute-resolution committee Muladi (center) speaks to journalists on Jan
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Chairman of Golkarâs internal dispute-resolution committee Muladi (center) speaks to journalists on Jan. 15 to announce the formation of a transition team, which is tasked with organizing the party's national congress to elect a new chairman in March. Aburizal Bakrie's camp does not recognize the transition team. Instead, the camp is organizing a national leadership meeting (Rapimnas) from Jan 23 to 25 in Jakarta. (Antara/Teresia May) (center) speaks to journalists on Jan. 15 to announce the formation of a transition team, which is tasked with organizing the party's national congress to elect a new chairman in March. Aburizal Bakrie's camp does not recognize the transition team. Instead, the camp is organizing a national leadership meeting (Rapimnas) from Jan 23 to 25 in Jakarta. (Antara/Teresia May)
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span class="caption">Chairman of Golkar's internal dispute-resolution committee Muladi (center) speaks to journalists on Jan. 15 to announce the formation of a transition team, which is tasked with organizing the party's national congress to elect a new chairman in March. Aburizal Bakrie's camp does not recognize the transition team. Instead, the camp is organizing a national leadership meeting (Rapimnas) from Jan 23 to 25 in Jakarta. (Antara/Teresia May)
The leadership dispute within the Golkar Party is unlikely to end anytime soon as the rival camps within the party still insist on their respective agendas.
The camp of Aburizal Bakrie, resulting from the Bali national congress kicks off its national leadership meeting (Rapimnas) on Saturday, while Agung Laksono's camp, resulting from the Ancol national congress, which is supported by senior Golkar politicians, including Vice President Jusuf Kalla and former president B.J. Habibie insist on preparing the national congress to elect a new party leader.
Aburizal, who is included in a transition team to prepare the national congress, has rejected this plan. Instead, he is seeking support from regional party leaders ' provinces, regencies and cities -- in a three-day meeting in Jakarta.
"Before the[Saturday] meeting, Golkar chairman Aburizal Bakrie had carried out a political safari, meeting with B.J. Habibie, Jusuf Kalla, Akbar Tanjung and Muladi,' Aburizal's camp secretary general Idrus Marham told the press briefing on Friday evening. Akbar is former Golkar chairman, while Muladi is chairman of Golkar's internal dispute-resolution committee.
Idrus said that Aburizal had told the senior party members that the national leadership meeting was aimed at ending the party's internal conflict.
The split in the party started when the party's national congress in Bali in November, 2014, which elected Aburizal, was not recognized by rival politicians led by Agung Laksono. Instead, the rival camp organized their own national congress in Jakarta in December, 2014 which elected Agung as the party chairman.
Initially, the government accepted Agung as official chairman of the party, but later revoked its approval of the Agung leadership after the Supreme Court made a decision in favor of Aburizal's camp, which had filed a lawsuit against the government's approval.
The dispute within the party continues because the government also does not accept Aburizal leadership. Many politicians within the party, particularly Agung's camp believe that Golkar is in a leadership vacuum and a national congress is needed. Meanwhile, Aburizal'a camp insists that the three-day national leadership meeting will legitimatize Aburizal's chairmanship.
Meanwhile, Agung's camp have questioned the legality of the regional leaders invited to the national leadership meeting.
"We will not come to the meeting," Ace Hasan Syadzily, a member of Agung's executive board, told thejakartapost.com on Saturday.
He urged Aburizal's camp to respect the decision of Golkar's internal dispute-resolution committee, which had formed a transition team, chaired by Jusuf Kalla.
"They don't need to hold a national leaders' meeting because the result is predictable: to support the government," Ace said on Friday, adding that such support should be decided in the Golkar National Congress, just like when Golkar joined the White and Red Coalition (KMP) in the Bali congress.
But, the Aburizal camp has ignored such a call, saying that more than 2,000 representatives of regional chapters ' provinces, regencies and city ' would come to the national leadership meeting in Jakarta. The organizers also claimed that representatives of Golkar's wing organizations would also attend the meeting. (bbn)
