Building support: Coordinating for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Panjaitan (second right) and Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie (center) hold up a declaration of support for the government, witnessed by Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo (third right) and Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly (right) in Jakarta on Monday
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President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo has been advised to be cautious in dealing with the Golkar Party that declared its support to his government in a recent party meeting.
Before declaring its support for the government, Golkar had a key role in the Red and White Coalition (KMP) and therefore, said Pangi Syarwi Chaniago of Indostrategi in Jakarta on Wednesday, Jokowi had to consider carefully Golkar's motive for the change in its political stance.
Pangi believes that Jokowi needs to have a formal agreement with Golkar and other political parties in the ruling coalition so that there is a clear commitment that they will support government policies, particularly in dealing with the Houses of Representatives.
'As long as the government does not violate the Constitution, the Golkar Party and other political parties have to support government policies,' he said, adding that Jokowi needed to learn from former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's government whose policies were jeopardized by members of the ruling collation.
As the nation's second-largest political group, the Golkar Party's support will help the ruling collation to secure more than 70 percent of seats in the House of Representatives. The Golkar decision was made during the party's national leadership meeting in Jakarta that ran from Jan. 23 to Jan. 25 and was attended by representatives of Golkar's regional chapters.
Apart from having to deal with Golkar, Pangi, a lecturer at state-owned Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic University, said Jokowi could also face possible disappointment from political parties that had supported him since the beginning of his administration.
'There is a suspicion and a discontent within the ruling coalition, particularly because existing parties [within the collation] are unhappy that their ministerial positions will be reduced,' said Pangi, adding that it was the task of Jokowi to give a clear explanation about the entry of Golkar to the coalition.
Ahmad Basarah of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) appreciated the entry of Golkar into the ruling coalition, but advised Jokowi to manage the support of political parties wisely to avoid possible friction within the coalition.
'The most important thing is that Jokowi should be able to manage the support of political parties so that their support brings positive energy rather than negative energy [for his government],' said Basarah as reported by kompas.com.
He called on Golkar to immediately end its internal friction so that the party could give full support as an institution to the government. 'The Golkar support is expected to be comprehensive, as an institution and legally and politically legitimate,' he said. (bbn)(+)
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