As the leading party in the United Indonesia Coalition (KIB), which has pooled more than enough votes to field its own candidate, Golkar has the political leverage to shape the five-yearly democratic contest for the country’s top job. But the party appears to have taken a wait-and-see approach in the lead-up to 2024.

One reason for this is ethical. The party has said it was respecting the fact that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo still had around two years left in his second and final term, and that “prematurely” declaring electoral bids could undermine his presidency.

“There will be pebbles in the shoe if too many presidential candidates are announced prematurely because we are facing high global uncertainty. This is the time for us to tackle these challenges, not to have differing opinions,” Golkar chair Airlangga Hartanto, who is also Jokowi’s Coordinating Economic Affairs Minister, said in his speech at the party’s 58th anniversary celebration last week.

‘Don’t be reckless’

The anniversary event was also attended by President Jokowi and other party leaders, including NasDem Party chairman Surya Paloh who has formally declared former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan as the party’s presidential nominee.

NasDem is the second party in the ruling coalition to declare its support for Jokowi’s potential successor after Gerindra, which has again nominated its chairman, Prabowo Subianto, the incumbent defense minister, to contest the presidency.

In his speech at the Golkar event, Jokowi advised the party against being “reckless” in picking its candidate.

“I’m certain that Golkar will be very careful, diligent and conscientious in declaring [its] presidential and vice presidential candidates for 2024,” he said.

At the same time however, the President reminded the party that it could not drag its feet in selecting the best candidate. "Do not take too long,” he cautioned.

Speaking to reporters in Jakarta on Saturday, Airlangga said the KIB, which consists of the three pro-government parties Golkar, the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the United Development Party (PPP), had kept the President informed about any potential nominees.

“This is political communication, not just ordinary communication,” he said as quoted by Tempo.co.

Regardless of the claim that it is being prudent, the party’s rank and file is far from united in their preference of who will be the party’s presidential ticket.

Airlangga, Ganjar or Anies?

Several members of the Golkar elite have insisted that the party is still keen on nominating Airlangga, who has consistently scored low in opinion polls, even after he launched a massive online and offline campaign to boost his electability, but some cadres appeared to stray from the party line.

Golkar advisory council chairman and senior politician Akbar Tandjung hinted at his support for Anies’ presidential bid earlier this month, after the former Jakarta governor had secured NasDem’s backing. The following week, however, Akbar clarified that he was simply applauding the move, as Anies was his junior in the Islamic Student Association (HMI).

The Golkar Party's Youth Movement (GMPG) is another internal camp that has been openly supporting Anies. The GMPG is led by Sirajuddin Abdul Wahab, who has been disappointed with the party’s failure at generating a new crop of young leaders and has blamed Airlangga's poor electability on the party's falling clout amid the stiff competition.

On Sunday, Sirajuddin declared its support for Anies and launched a nationwide volunteer group called Go-Anies to help his chances at securing victory in 2024. The launch event was attended by fellow Golkar member Sofhian Mile, former Golkar politician Andi Sinulingga and Anies himself who was symbolically given a vest in yellow, the party’s color.

"I am a Golkar cadre, but this is part of my constitutional right to choose anyone to become president in 2024," Sirajudin said, adding that 26 percent of Golkar voters in the 2019 election supported Anies.

Jokowi's blessing

Political analyst Ujang Komarudin said some Golkar members’ support for Anies from could create a rift within the party.

"This could push Golkar to pick a presidential candidate other than Airlangga. The [internal] tug-of-war over [Golkar’s] presidential nominee has been strong because Airlangga's presidential bid is not only for Golkar to decide, but also rests on the blessing of President Jokowi," he said.

Meanwhile, the party is also facing pressure from several regional executives of PAN and the PPP that are pushing to nominate Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), who has consistently topped electability surveys.

PAN chairman Zulkifli Hasan and PPP deputy chairman Amir Uskara stressed that the KIB members had agreed to complete its vision for the new government before discussing who to nominate.

"We do not want [to nominate anyone] just because of their popularity, because it is not guaranteed," Amir said.

Analysts have said, however, that Jokowi will play a critical role in the KIB’s decision, given that the electoral alliance appeared to have been formed to ensure the continuity of the President’s programs.

Golkar and PAN had supported an earlier, highly controversial proposal to extend Jokowi’s presidency, which other parties opposed.

Jokowi himself has yet to make his preferred successor public, despite rumors that he favors either Prabowo or Ganjar, both of who have claimed to be the incumbent’s potential successor.

Meanwhile, the President has indicated his reservations about Anies, who has the backing of opposition parties the Democratic Party and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS). (ahw)

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