This is mainly because one of its senior politicians, Yasonna Laoly, sits in the Cabinet as the law and human rights minister and therefore has the power to authorize the leadership of registered political parties.

The two opposing camps within the Democratic Party have submitted documents for Yasonna to examine before deciding which camp has the right to claim leadership. The one led by Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, who was elected chairman at the March 2020 party congress, is seeking government reaffirmation of his current leadership. The other camp, meanwhile, is urging formal recognition of the change in leadership resulting from the recent congress in Deli Serdang, North Sumatra, that appointed Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko as chairman.

Yasonna has said that he would resolve the dispute “professionally” and examine thoroughly all the documents before making any decisions.

“If it [Deli Serdang leadership is found to have been formed] not in accordance with the laws or party statute and its rules of association, we will decide [to reject it],” he told a meeting with members of House of Representatives Commission III, which oversees legal affairs, on Wednesday.

“But what if it is in line with [these]? How should I decide?”

Yasonna made the remarks in response to a statement by Democratic Party lawmaker and executive Benny K. Harman, who said that many politicians in Agus’ camp wanted the minister to act based on laws in resolving the power struggle within the party.

Read also: Moeldoko splits Democratic Party, poses threat to SBY's ascendancy

Jakarta-based pollster KedaiKOPI executive director Kunto Adi Wibowo said that, thanks to Yasonna’s position, the PDI-P could play a key role in settling the Democratic Party conflict.

“The PDI-P, particularly its chairwoman Megawati [Soekarnoputri], has a strategic role [in deciding the outcome of the civil war in the Democratic party], because she could give instruction to Yasonna on how the conflict should be resolved,” he said.

But PDI-P executive Ahmad Basarah said his party had never wanted to meddle in the internal affairs of other parties, while also emphasizing that the party did not exert any influence over the policy issued by its members in Cabinet positions.

“When party cadres join the Cabinet, they [become] public officials who have their own authorities,” Ahmad told The Jakarta Post. “As for the Law and Human Rights Ministry, ever since [Yasonna] assumed the position, he is a public official, not an official of the party. So, his policies as a minister are public policies unrelated to his position [in the PDI-P].”

Infighting within the Democratic Party deepened after the splinter group held the extraordinary congress in Deli Serdang early this month and elected Moeldoko as the party leader. The legitimacy of the congress is disputed by Agus’ supporters, who labeled the congress as “illegal” and “unconstitutional” given that no party executives with voting rights had been in attendance. Agus, the eldest son of party patriarch and former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, was elected as the party’s leader at the party’s national congress in March 2020.

Read also: For the government, Agus is still the legitimate Democratic Party chairman

Tempo daily reported last week that Moeldoko had met PDI-P chairwoman Megawati at her house in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on March 10 to discuss the issue. Moeldoko reportedly told Megawati that he had accepted the offer to lead the Democratic Party to wrest control of the party from Yudhoyono’s political dynasty.

PDI-P’s Ahmad denied that the meeting had taken place, saying that Megawati had never been “intensely communicating” with Moeldoko after the former military general assumed his current position as President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's chief of staff. He said that Moeldoko was among Jokowi’s aides that had never visited Megawati at her house.

Agus, meanwhile, has visited several government officials and influential figures in politics in an apparent attempt to secure support for his leadership. He met with Coordinating Legal, Political and Human Rights Affairs Minister Mahfud MD, former vice president Jusuf Kalla and former Constitutional Court chief justice Jimly Asshidiqqie.

Read also: Opposing camps maintain Democratic Party schism. Experts tip final resolution at court

Agus loyalist and the Democratic Party’s head of strategic communication, Herzaky Mahendra Putra, said the party’s power struggle was among the topics discussed with these figures.

“They gave their support and hope for the problem to be resolved soon. Most of them also expressed regret over the situation, which they said was not good for Indonesia’s democracy."

-- Tri Indah Oktavianti contributed to the story.

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