Indra Bambang Utoyo, Ridwan Hisjam and Agun Gunanjar announced their candidacy after Bambang's supporters recently threatened to hold a separate national congress. A similar rift emerged in 2014 when the nation’s second-largest party held two separate congresses — one in Jakarta and one in Bali — to elect its chairman following a fierce battle between candidates Aburizal Bakrie and Agung Laksono.

Bambang loyalist Victus Murin accused Airlangga and his supporters of violating the party’s statutes and rules of association (AD/ART) by removing Bambang's supporters from the congress committee. They said it was a sign of unhealthy competition as the incumbent’s supporters dominated.

“This is a reminder for Airlangga’s supporters that history should not repeat itself,” the Golkar deputy secretary-general said on Monday.

However, they have not set the date or place for the second congress. “We will monitor the congress held on Dec. 3 to 6 first,” Victus said.

Of the three new candidates, Indra was the first to declare his bid. The former lawmaker and senior member of Golkar said he was worried that the Bambang-Airlangga rivalry could exacerbate an internal division within the party, which could affect votes in future elections.

Victus was concerned that Golkar could be left behind as it had almost never focused on strategic issues. He cited the NasDem Party as an example of the successful use of strategy.

“Overall, I’m worried about the party’s management. It has moved toward becoming an oligarchic party,” he told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Indra said the party was currently supporting both him and Bambang but would eventually rally around the candidate who was “most likely to win”.

Declaring his candidacy on Nov. 23, Agun, a Golkar lawmaker representing West Java, voiced the same opinion as Indra. He said he wanted to rescue the democratic process in the party as he was concerned about Bambang supporters’ threat to hold another congress. He reminded all party members to keep the election process fair and neutral.

“We must be aware of it. It’s not just for Airlangga or Bambang. It’s for all of us, including myself,” Agun said.

The senior politician also criticized Airlangga’s leadership, mentioning incidents of “unfairness” against several Bambang supporters in certain Regional Representatives Councils (DPDs), “for example, the dismissal of Bambang’s supporters in some DPDs. It was unfair. They are free to support anyone. Some of them were also forced to swear [to support Airlangga] on the Quran. That’s ridiculous.”

The third candidate, Ridwan, a Golkar lawmaker representing East Java, also called for the committee to remain neutral. He said internal conflicts would only harm the party itself.

Unlike Iwan and Agun, Ridwan did not openly criticize Airlangga’s leadership. He said the party needed increase its share of the vote to 20 percent in 2024.

Although five candidates have entered the race, Airlangga, who is also the coordinating economic minister, said on Wednesday that he still wanted the election to be decided through a nonvote consensus.

“Yes, we will see at the General Assembly,” the minister said after the plenary meeting at the Golkar Party headquarters in Slipi, West Jakarta, which was not attended by Bambang.

Golkar Party official Syamsul Rizal, a Bambang loyalist, said that Bambang’s absence had nothing to do with the race. He said Bambang and Airlangga’s relationship was fine.

“They are fine but their supporters aren’t. Intimidation of Bambang’s supporters has occurred in various regions by Airlangga supporters, even involving people outside the party,” Syamsul said.

Since the beginning of Bambang’s candidacy, his supporters have accused Airlangga’s supporters of intimidation, including dismissals from party positions and removal from the congress committee.

Syamsul said he had received reports that three President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo ministers tried to intimidate regional Golkar leaders and DPD chairs.

“There are three ministers, one of whom is a minister from Golkar. The two other ministers are from another party and a [nonpartisan] professional,” he said. He mentioned one of the names he heard was State Secretary Pratikno.

“There was also one Golkar politician in the House of Representatives leadership who threatened Bambang’s supporters, saying that he could call the National Police chief, the attorney general or other legal institutions to investigate them at any time. I’m sure the President doesn’t know about it.”

Golkar Party executive Robert Kardinal agreed with Syamsul’s claim, saying he heard there were “warnings” from three ministers to regional heads and regional party leaders, “But we are not assuming that Pak Jokowi has sided with Airlangga. He said these were Golkar’s internal affairs. That was clear enough.”

Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic State University (UIN) political expert Adi Prayitno said Airlangga’s desire to be reelected by nonvote consensus did not reflect the nature of the Golkar Party because it had never relied on a single dominant figure, unlike the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) or the Democratic Party.

“If the congress is just a formality, then there is no point in making a party either,” Adi said.

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