The nation'€™s second-largest political group, the Golkar Party, has officially declared its support of President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo'€™s government, a move that means the ruling coalition will now be able secure more than 70 percent of seats in the House of Representatives.

The decision was made during the party'€™s national leadership meeting in Jakarta from Jan. 23 to Jan. 25, and attended by representatives of Golkar'€™s regional chapters in provinces, cities and regencies across the nation.

"Our revised position has a similar goal, namely to develop Indonesia alongside the government," said Golkar chairman Aburizal Bakrie during his official speech at the closing ceremony of the party'€™s national leadership meeting in Jakarta on Monday.

Golkar Party had been aligned with the opposition Red and White Coalition (KMP) '€“ since the 2014 presidential election together with the Gerindra Party, National Mandate Party (PAN), United Development Party (PPP) and Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), when the parties supported Gerindra politician Prabowo Subianto'€™s presidential bid.

However, since then PAN has joined the ruling Great Indonesia Coalition (KIH), while PPP has also expressed its desire to do the same.

Golkar has recently been divided by rivalry between two factions; one led by Aburizal, who was elected at the party'€™s national congress in Bali in November, 2014, and a splinter faction led by Agung Laksono, who was elected at the Ancol National Congress in December, 2015.

Golkar deputy chairman Yorrys Raweyai, who previously left Agung'€™s camp and joined Aburizal'€™s, announced that the party was required to organize an extraordinary national congress, the schedule of which would be decided by Aburizal.

Event attendees included Vice President Jusuf Kalla,  Coordinating Minister for Politics, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Binsar Panjaitan,  Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo and Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly as well as Golkar senior politician Akbar Tandjung. Agung, however, did not attend the meeting. The presence of Kalla at the closing ceremony and former president BJ Habibie at the opening ceremony was a big victory for Aburizal'€™s camp as both senior politicians have been appointed as members of the transition team by party's internal dispute committee to organize the national congress to elect new Golkar leadership.

Yasonna previously revoked his support of Agung after the Supreme Court made a decision in favor of Aburizal as the party'€™s legitimate leader. However, the minister did not approve Abirizal'€™s camp, forcing it to seek a compromise by organizing the extraordinary congress.

Jusuf Kalla welcomed the plan to hold an extraordinary national congress with the hope that it would end the year-long conflict within the party.

"Just forget the national congress in Bali or national congress in Riau. What matters is Golkar," Jusuf Kalla, who is also a senior Golkar politician, told the press after the meeting. The Riau congress, held 10 years ago, was the meeting at which Aburizal was elected for the first time. (bbn) (+)

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