Speaking in a press conference on Wednesday, some of Golkar's advisory council and senior figures blasted Airlangga for the party’s “unclear direction” ahead of presidential and legislative elections next year, blaming it as the cause of the party’s declining electability, and called for an extraordinary congress to replace him.

“We ask openly for a leadership meeting [to schedule] an extraordinary congress to replace Airlangga from the Golkar’s chairmanship for the sake of Golkar’s greatness and progress,” senior politician Lawrence Siburian told reporters.

Lawrence, along with several senior Golkar politicians, said that they were “very concerned” about the state of the party under Airlangga's leadership ahead of the elections and feared that the country’s oldest party and the second-largest party in the House of Representatives would face devaluation.

“In our national meeting [Munas] and leadership meeting [Rapimnas], Golkar has decided that Airlangga will run as our presidential candidate. But he has not done anything until today,” Lawrence said.

“We are all healthy, rational and sane people who can see all the facts, analyze the situations and have hope. We do not want to let our big party, Golkar, go downhill becoming a middle-tier or a low-tier party.”

Lawrence blamed Airlangga for focusing more on helping President Joko “Jokowi’” Widodo’s since serving as coordinating economic minister in the Cabinet over navigating the party ahead of the elections.

“He must give his attention, time and be willing to listen [to us or other Golkar supporters outside his clique]," Lawrence said.

Read also: Airlangga shrugs off speculation of extraordinary Golkar meeting

Golkar has been leading an electoral alliance called the United Indonesia Coalition (KIB) with two other smaller pro-government parties —  the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the United Development Party (PPP). The fate of the alliance came into question after the PPP announced that it would join the biggest party in the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) in backing its politician Ganjar Pranowo to run in the presidential race.

Both Golkar and PAN have been exploring their options, whether to join other alliances to back one of two pro-government frontrunners, Ganjar and Gerindra Party’s presumptive nominee Prabowo Subianto, or forge an alternative alliance together to pair Airlangga with PAN’s chairman Zulkifli Hassan.

Controlling less than 15 percent of House seats, Golkar needs to form an alliance with other parties to pass the 20 percent presidential threshold to put Airlangga on the ballot next year.

Read also: Golkar mulls over possible fourth 2024 alliance

Earlier on Sunday, members of Golkar's advisory council held a three-hour meeting at the private residence of the council chairman Agung Laksono, during which they discussed the party’s direction ahead of next year’s presidential and legislative elections.

A recommendation produced in the meeting, seen by The Jakarta Post, said the council had agreed that Golkar should forge an alternative electoral alliance to ensure the party has its electoral vehicle to have Airlangga contest the presidential race.

“This will raise the morale of all Golkar legislative candidates as the party’s frontliners in efforts to secure victory for Golkar in the 2024 legislative election,” the document said.

The document also stressed that Airlangga should “declare himself as a presidential candidate from the Golkar and pick his running mate as soon as possible, with a deadline of not later than August.”

To ensure the party’s victory in both presidential and legislative elections next year, the council suggested Airlangga start embarking on political outreach to “greet the people” across the country.

Read also: Golkar gives Airlangga authority to pick presidential ticket

Speaking on Wednesday, another member of the advisory council, Ridwan Hisjam, called for the central executive board to reconsider Airlangga’s nomination as the party’s presidential candidate should he fail to form a fourth electoral alliance by August.

“Changing the national meeting decision in 2019 that mandated Airlangga as a presidential candidate can only be done through one mechanism: holding an extraordinary congress,” Ridwan said.

Airlangga said on Monday that there was no immediate plan to hold an extraordinary meeting to remove him from the party’s presidential ticket, stressing that Golkar members remained solid behind him in the lead-up to the 2024 election.

"There's no such a thing. That's not on the agenda," Airlangga said.