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struggle between former president Soeharto’s daughter and fellow Golkar Party politician Mahyudin over a position in the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) has raised again the issue of the Soeharto legacy ahead of the 2019 presidential election.

Golkar lawmaker Siti Hediati Hariyadi, better known as Titiek Soeharto, has been appointed by the party plenary meeting to replace Mahyudin as one of the MPR’s deputy speakers.

It was party chairman Airlangga Hartarto who first publicly suggested that Titiek fill the post. His suggestion was sealed in the plenary meeting, the highest level of decision-making in the party, on Sunday night.

Golkar central executive board chairman Ace Hasan Syadzily said the decision was based on the aspirations of party members that a female Golkar member should hold a strategic position in a state institution.

However, several Golkar executives have claimed that the decision to name Titiek as deputy MPR speaker and oust Mahyudin was the result of a political deal designed to prevent her from running for the party’s chairmanship during its extraordinary congress held last December.

Titiek has denied the allegation. “There was no such deal. I just want to follow the mandate of the chairman. Maybe the party just wants female representation at the MPR,” she said.

At the time of the chairmanship race, just one day before Airlangga was elected chairman unanimously, Titiek had hinted she would run for the office.

She complained that there was only one choice in the race, and highlighted a narrative about the rise of “Cendana”, referring to the name of the street in Menteng, Central Jakarta, where Soeharto’s family lived.

Many people would like to see the Cendana family return to the party’s leadership, Titiek said.

The next day, however, she dropped out of the race, saying her candidacy was unnecessary.

Before Titiek made her appearance in the political arena, her brother Hutomo Mandala Putra, otherwise known as Tommy Soeharto, made similar efforts to break into politics.

Tommy, Soeharto’s youngest son, eyed the Golkar chairmanship twice, in 2015 and 2016. When both attempts failed, he established his own Berkarya Party. Berkarya will run in next year’s legislative election.

Political analysts have said Golkar still has many Soeharto loyalists and that the Cendana family can exploit nostalgia for Soeharto’s rule, an era viewed as one of development and economic stability.

Winning the deputy MPR speakership seat could lead to regional visits, facilitated by the MPR, for Titiek.

On Wednesday, the dispute over the seat continued as Mahyudin refused to give up his post.

Under the new Legislative Institutions (MD3) Law, the leaders of legislative institutions can only lose office through death, through inability to do their duties permanently or resignation.

“Can you give me a reason for stepping down?” Mahyudin said while standing next to Titiek before a House plenary meeting on Tuesday. Mahyudin, however, was open to negotiation. “In politics, negotiations exist. There is no dead end,” he said .

Golkar’s Ace, however, said there was no way for a member to oppose a party decision.

A meeting at the MPR on Wednesday afternoon did not address the stalemate between Golkar and Mahyudin.

The meeting, attended by eight political party factions and the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) group, only discussed and agreed to appoint three new deputy speakers: Ahmad Basarah of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Ahmad Muzani of Gerindra and Muhaimin Iskandar of the National Awakening Party (PKB).

The three will be inaugurated on Monday. There was no confirmation as to whether Titiek would get her post. The new deputy speakers will add to the current four: Mahyudin, Hidayat Nur Wahid of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), Evert Ernest Mangindaan of the Democratic Party and Oesman Sapta Odang of the DPD.