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Revolt brews in Democratic Party against Yudhoyono ‘dynasty’
Emboldened by the recent turmoil in their party, senior Democratic Party members are pushing for an end to the Yudhoyono political dynasty.
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Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, son of Democratic Party patron Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono the current chairman of the party, gives a motivational speech to fellow cadres in West Kalimantan in 2019. (Antara/Jessica Helena Wuysang)
P
olitical strife in the Democratic Party has intensified in recent weeks, with a group of senior party members pushing for an end to the stranglehold of the powerful Yudhoyono family on the blue party.
The internal conflict in Indonesia’s largest opposition party was made public early last month when party chairman Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, the eldest son of party patriarch and former president Susilo Bambang “SBY” Yudhoyono, accused an unnamed State Palace official of complicity in a deliberate attempt to unseat him from the party leadership.
Agus’ statement prompted a response from Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko, who acknowledged meeting with several party members believed to have mobilized the Democrat rank and file in an attempt to oust Agus. Moeldoko denied, however, taking any part in what Agus called an “attempted coup” against him.
The party took swift action by purging the “mutineers”. Several Democrats such as Jhoni Allen Marbun, Yus Sudarso, Darmizal, Tri Yulianto, Syofwatillah Mohzaib and Ahmad Yahya were summarily expelled on Feb. 26 for their alleged involvement in the “attempted coup”.
Former Democrat secretary-general Marzuki Alie, who was House of Representatives speaker when the party led the legislature in 2009-2014, was also sacked from the party for an “ethics violation” after criticizing Agus’s leadership.
Challenging SBY legacy
SBY has been the face of the Democratic Party for more than a decade. His supremacy in the party has been deemed comparable to that of Megawati Soekarnoputri in the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Prabowo Subianto in the Gerindra Party and Surya Paloh in the Nasdem Party. All are so revered that no member of their parties dare criticize them.
