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Government has nothing to do with Golkar turmoil: Jokowi
In a tense press briefing before his departure to China at the Halim Perdanakusumah Air Force Base in East Jakarta, President Jokowi said that what happened today within Golkar, the feud between Airlangga's faction and its rival, was an internal party affair.
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President Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo, joined by Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Panjaitan (left) and First Lady Iriana, speaks to the press on the tarmac of the Halim Perdanakusumah Air Force Base on May 19, 2023. (The Jakarta Post/Presidential Secretariat)
P
resident Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has rejected speculation that his administration is behind the plot to oust Airlangga Hartarto from his position as Golkar Party chairman and replace him with politicians from his inner circle.
In a tense press briefing before his departure to China at the Halim Perdanakusumah Air Force Base in East Jakarta, President Jokowi said that what happened today within Golkar, the feud between Airlangga's faction and its rival, was an internal party affair.
"This is an internal Golkar affair and has nothing to do with us," Jokowi said, responding to a question from reporters suggesting that some ministers in his cabinet, including Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Panjaitan and Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia, had been gunning for Airlangga's position in Golkar.
President Jokowi raised his voice and turned his head towards a glum Luhut before saying that if the two ministers did have such a plan, it would be their personal business.
"If Pak Luhut, Pak Bahlil or Pak Bamsoet [Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly Bambang Soesatyo] have such an intention, then that's their business, not ours," Jokowi shot back with a hint of a smile.
Responding to the statement, State Secretary Pramono Agung Wibobo, who stood to the right of the President, gestured to the reporters to end the press briefing and allow the President to board the presidential aircraft that would fly him to Chengdu, China.
Senior politicians of Golkar have voiced doubts about Airlangga’s leadership ahead of the 2024 general election, and called for an extraordinary congress to remove him should he fail to forge an alternative electoral alliance to secure support for his presidential candidacy.
