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Moeldoko splits Democratic Party, poses threat to SBY's ascendancy
Disputed extraordinary congress in North Sumatra declares Moeldoko as the new party leader.
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Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko (right) delivers a speech during an extraordinary congress held by several Democratic Party members at a hotel in Deli Serdang, North Sumatra on March 5, 2021. Moeldoko was elected party leader by senior Democratic Party members opposed to the leadership of Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono. (Antara/Endi Ahmad)
T
he political turmoil rocking the Democratic Party has morphed into a showdown between two former military generals: former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) and Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko, who now claims to be the legitimate leader of the nation’s largest opposition party.
Moeldoko, who served as the Indonesian Military commander during the latter days of Yudhoyono’s presidency, was elected party leader by senior Democratic Party members opposed to the leadership of Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, who has — at least until recently — represented the Yudhoyono clan’s stranglehold on the party.
The anti-SBY camp held an extraordinary congress at a hotel in Deli Serdang, North Sumatra, on Friday, confirming allegations made by Democratic Party executive Andi Arief, a Yudhoyono loyalist, in a series of tweets on Thursday, shortly before his Twitter account was hacked by an unidentified party. The newly formed splinter group claimed the congress had secured the support of 1,200 Democratic Party delegates from across the country, though it remains unclear just how many were actually in attendance on Friday.
The congress lasted less than an hour, during which participants were asked to choose between Moeldoko and former secretary-general Marzuki Alie, who is said to have also vied for the chairmanship. Moeldoko was not present when the congress — which the pro-Yudhoyono camp insists has no legitimacy — decided to elect him the new party leader.
In another bizarre move, Moeldoko accepted the decision by telephone. But he then went to the congress at 9:30 p.m. local time and delivered a speech to the attendees, calling the extraordinary congress “constitutional, according to the party’s rules of association and internal bylaws.”
“Ladies and gentleman, this is my first political speech in front of a general audience in an effort to maintain and build democracy in Indonesia,” Moeldoko said during his speech, as quoted by tempo.co.
The former general, who initially denied involvement in any attempts to take over the party leadership from Agus, also told the congress that he would “build the party and uphold his commitment to the nation and state without personal interests”.
