TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Govt still recognizes Agus Yudhoyono as Dem leader
The appointment suggests that party members have long been unhappy with the leadership of Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono.
Change Size
T
he government said it does not recognize the appointment of Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko as Democratic Party chairman by a group of senior members at an extraordinary congress in Deli Serdang, North Sumatra, on Friday.
Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD said on Saturday that the government would observe on the legitimacy of the extraordinary congress’ result if the splinter group files formal documents regarding a change in official party leadership currently led by Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, the son of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
“Only then can the government say whether this [new chairmanship] is legitimate and if [the congress] was held in accordance with the party’s constitution […], among other issues," Mahfud said. “The legitimate party structure [as acknowledged by] the government is still Agus, the son of Yudhoyono.”
"The event [in Deli Serdang] is considered to be a gathering of party members and cannot be nullified because the law protects the right to assembly.”
Moeldoko, who served as the Indonesian Military (TNI) commander during the latter days of Yudhoyono’s presidency, is the deputy chief patron of the Hanura Party and was never officially associated with the Democratic Party until his surprise appointment. The pro-Yudhoyono Democrats believe that Moeldoko acted on his own.
Read also: Moeldoko splits Democratic Party, poses threat to SBY's ascendancy
Should the government recognize the result of the Deli Serdang congress, the Democratic Party would automatically become part of the ruling coalition, as Moeldoko still serves as the presidential chief of staff. The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) would be the only remaining opposition party, as the National Mandate Party (PAN) has publicly declared that it was neither against nor for the government.
Yudhoyono, now serving as chairman of the party's high council, the most powerful institution within the party that approves the execution of an extraordinary congress, and has allowed the former president to retain his political ascendancy and guide Agus as his political heir.
He has been the face of the Democratic Party for more than a decade and as its patriarch, it is said that no member dares to criticize him.
Commenting on the brouhaha on Friday, Yudhoyono claimed his camp had warned the government in a formal letter to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo that an act of treason was brewing from inside the party, involving Moeldoko. It also brought the issue into the public sphere but was met with cynicism.
“They said the Democrats were only seeking attention by playing the victim," Yudhoyono said following Moeldoko’s appointment, adding that the Deli Serdang congress was illegal because its attendance numbers did not meet the minimum requirement set by the party's constitution and its hosting was not approved by the high council.
Read also: Revolt brews in Democratic Party against Yudhoyono ‘dynasty’
Political researcher Saiful Mujani said the uproar was a symptom of the declining quality of democracy in Indonesia, saying that Moeldoko’s involvement did not make it an internal conflict.
“This incident is bad for our democracy. If the President is committed to upholding democracy, he must prohibit Moeldoko from being involved or tell the Law and Human Rights Minister not to recognize the result of the extraordinary congress,” he told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
“In a democracy, the state or state officials should protect the independence of all parties — not get involved in them.”
The incident has raised concerns among political observers, given that it was not the first time a political figure close to the government has split a political party and eventually taken over. A similar strategy was reportedly used to divide PAN, the Golkar Party and the United Development Party (PPP).
Saiful also warned of potential ideological polarization among the public and a growing “government versus Muslims” mindset if the PKS, an Islamic-based party that often claimed to represent all Indonesian Muslims, was left as the sole opposition party.
