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With Jokowi’s charm, Golkar set to compete in 2019 poll
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Warm welcome: The Jakarta Post’s editor-in-chief Endy M. Bayuni (right) welcomes the Golkar Party chairman Setya Novanto (left) at the Post’s office on Friday. (JP/PJ Leo)
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s the nation’s oldest political party and one that has survived historic tribulations, including the downfall of its chief patron, Soeharto, in 1998, the Golkar Party seems to have a flair for overcoming any crisis.
Soon after losing the presidential election in 2014, the party was hit by the worst internal strife since its establishment in 1964. After decades of staunchly supporting the government, the grand old party suddenly found itself on the other end of the political pendulum.
The identity crisis led to a power struggle between Golkar stalwarts Aburizal Bakrie, who wanted the party to stay with the Red and White Coalition led by Prabowo Subianto, and Agung Laksono, who believed that the party would be better off joining the pro-goverment coalition.
That strife took a toll on the party’s electability, Golkar chairman Setya Novanto said during a visit to The Jakarta Post office on Friday.
The former House of Representatives speaker said that his main task was to unify the party after the strife between Agung and Aburizal, which had divided party members. It has not been an easy task as Setya has had to deal with party bigwigs, including Akbar Tanjung.
“It requires skill to understand my seniors. I must stay humble and take a friendly approach with each of them to take action for the sake of the party,” he said.
After recovering from the crisis, Golkar is now focusing on solidifying the party’s rank and file and boosting its electability ahead of the regional elections in 2017 and 2018 and the general election in 2019.
With none of Golkar’s candidates winning any the previous three presidential elections, the party has learned its lesson: It does not have a political figure popular enough to win the race for the nation’s top spot. It therefore decided to endorse President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo as its presidential candidate and launched an aggressive campaign to associate Jokowi with the party.
“I have traveled across the country and found that Pak Jokowi is still very popular in the regions,” he said. “People, especially those from the middle and low classes, are still very enthusiastic about his leadership. They still greatly support him.”
The President’s face is featured on party banners set up everywhere. His picture is next to party candidates contesting the upcoming regional elections.
And above all, Golkar has become Jokowi’s number one defender, with the party backing all of the government’s policies.
Other than preventing more friction over who will be the party’s presidential candidate, endorsing Jokowi has proven to be a strategic move as the party has seen improving electability within a year.
Setya said that when Jokowi attended the party’s national leadership meeting in July the party’s electability had risen to 14 percent from less than 10 percent at the previous meeting. According to Setya, the party’s electability stands at 16 percent today.
Studies by different pollsters have confirmed that Golkar’s association with Jokowi has fuelled the party’s rocketing performance.
A recent survey by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) found that Golkar had achieved a 3 percent electability increase following the party’s pledge of support for Jokowi. Golkar’s electability stands at 14.1 percent this year.
Another survey by Indikator Politik Indonesia found that Golkar’s electability stood at 16 percent only few days after the party stated its official support for the President.
“It is really important for Golkar to ensure Jokowi’s programs run well because we no longer have another scenario in 2019. We will win the 2019 election if Jokowi successfully runs his administration now,” Golkar secretary general Idrus Marham said.
