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Golkar delays formation of reconciliation congress comittee
The Golkar Party's reunification executive board delayed on Wednesday the formation of the organizing committee of the party's planned reconciliation congress due to the illness of party chairman Aburizal Bakrie.
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Vice President and senior Golkar Party member Jusuf Kalla (center) is flanked by Agung Laksono (left) and Aburizal Bakrie, leaders of rival camps in the party, in Jakarta in May, 2015. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama )
T
he reunification executive board of Golkar Party delayed on Wednesday the formation of the organizing committee of the party's planned reconciliation congress due to the illness of party chairman Aburizal Bakrie.
The board meeting, chaired by party deputy chairman Agung Laksono, decided on Wednesday to reschedule the formation of the steering committee and organizing committee, which will be responsible for organizing the party congress with the main agenda item being the election of a new party chairman.
He said a plenary meeting was scheduled for Feb. 29.
"The plenary meeting is our important forum that discusses strategic issues such as the formation of an organizing committee. We decided to postpone it. We will wait for his (Aburizal) recovery," Agung told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting at the party's headquarters in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Aburizal was scheduled to chair Wednesday’s plenary meeting but because of his illness, he authorized the board to make the decision. The members of the party executive board decided to wait until he had recovered to set up the organizing committee.Specific details about Abruzil's illness are still unclear.
Although the organizing committee of the congress has not been established, according to unconfirmed information circulating within the Golkar Party’s headquarters Aburizal and Agung will be in charge of the national congress.
Reportedly, senior politicians -- Nurdin Halid and Agun Gunandjar -- will be the steering committee's chairman and secretary, respectively. Meanwhile, Zainuddin Amali will be chairman of the organizing committee.
The national congress will be held from April 10 to 15 as a follow up to the Law and Human Rights Ministry’s decree to extend the Riau congress leadership, which expired in 2014. The Riau congress elected Aburizal as party chairman, Agung as deputy chairman and Idrus Marham as a secretary-general.
The decree was issued to help the party organize another congress as part of efforts to end its leadership conflict. For over a year Golkar has been split into two factions, one led by Aburizal, who was elected at Bali congress in November 2014, and another one led by Agung, who was elected at a congress in Ancol, Jakarta in December 2014. (bbn)
