S

easoned Golkar Party politician and lawmaker Fadel Muhammad said on Tuesday that he was weighing up whether to take part in the Golkar Party'€™s chairmanship election.

He is among 12 senior members deemed eligible to run in the race, along with House of Representatives Speaker Ade Komarudin, the party'€™s House faction head Setya Novanto, lawmaker Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita and party secretary-general Idrus Marham.

'€œI'€™m of advanced age. If younger people want to run, please do,'€ said the 63-year-old as quoted by kompas.com.

A businessman-cum-politician, Fadel served as fisheries minister in former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono'€™s administration. He was also the first Gorontalo governor, serving from 2001 to 2009.

In the 2014 legislative election, Fadel won the largest number of votes among Golkar legislator candidates, making him a possible candidate for the House speaker post, which had been secured by the party. Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie, however, opted for Setya.

Fadel was again a contender for the position when Setya resigned last year. But Aburizal chose Ade over him.

He expressed his disappointment on the night Aburizal chose Ade, saying that previously having most votes had been the rule of thumb to choose a House speaker in the party.

Fadel said he would make a decision on contesting the election in its early stage, adding that he had the support of party executives in the eastern regions.