On Friday, the party’s faction at the House of Representatives held a meeting to talk about the possibility of reinstating Setya as House speaker.

Setya, who took over Golkar’s leadership in May after Ade, his toughest rival, backed out, resigned from his position as House speaker last year amid a scandal in which he was accused of conspiring to obtain shares in mining company PT Freeport Indonesia. The proposal to elevate Setya to the House’s leadership post came after the Constitutional Court ruled that a recording used to incriminate Setya was obtained illegally and could not be used against him in court.

The court also ruled that the “conspiracy” charge was too vague, declaring it unconstitutional.

Setya’s stalwarts are taking the proposal seriously.

“If it is better [for the party] to replace the current speaker, we will do so,” acting faction chairman Kahar Muzakir said after the meeting.

Ade’s loyalists are concerned about the move as they believe it will create “commotion” within the party, at a time when it should be focusing on consolidating its rank and file in the regions to win the 2019 general election.

The party was hit by internal strife in 2015 over the question of whether it should defect from the opposition camp and join the progovernment coalition.

The strife took a toll on the party’s approval rating, which dropped to below 10 percent, according to party officials. The party, however, managed to recover from the crisis after Setya was elected its chairman.

Setya has built strong relations with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and has nominated him as Golkar’s presidential candidate, a political strategy to boost the party’s approval rating ahead of the 2017 and 2018 regional elections as well as the 2019 general election.

“He should consult with the President because the move is highly sensitive and has the potential to upset the current stability. The current [political] climate is relatively stable,” said one Ade supporter, Bambang Soesatyo.

Ahmad Doli Kurnia, a young Golkar politician, said the party had gone through a rough time and been beset by protracted conflicts before Setya’s election.

“The party’s energy was spent on dealing with conflicts because of the polarization within the party. We should now be focusing on efforts to unify the party,” he said.

“I’m hoping that Pak Setya will be wise in considering the proposal, and think of the party’s best interests,” he added.

Speculation has been rife that Setya will regain his power at the House after the House’s ethics council cleared his name regarding an alleged ethics breach.

Setya came under fire after then energy and mineral resources minister Sudirman Said leaked a taped conversation between Setya, then PT Freeport Indonesia president director Maroef Sjamsoeddin and oil tycoon Riza Chalid.

The council’s decision to clear his name follows a formal request from Golkar, on behalf of Setya, based on the recent Constitutional Court’s ruling.

Many believe the rivalry between Setya and Ade simmered when Setya was forced to give up his position as House speaker to Ade.

Then Golkar chairman Aburizal Bakrie appointed Ade, then the leader of the party’s faction at the House, to replace Setya. Soon after his resignation, Setya was appointed by Aburizal to be Ade’s successor.

Their supporters have been seen bickering on many occasions since then. The two also showed strong rivalry during the party’s top leadership race.

However, Setya seems to be stronger than ever due to his relations with Jokowi and his ability to gain the support of his seniors, including Aburizal and Akbar Tanjung.

Bambang hinted that the Ade camp would yield his position if Jokowi backed Setya’s bid.

“The most important thing is we have to keep the political climate stable and maintain the party’s strategy to win the 2019 election,” he said.

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