Aburizal stays silent about 2nd term

JAKARTA. Amid aggressive maneuvers by Golkar Party chairman hopefuls Agung Laksono and MS Hidayat to garner support from regions, incumbent chairman Aburizal Bakrie has been unwavering about not expressing any intention he may have to seek a second term.

Golkar deputy chairman Fadel Muhammad confirmed on Monday he had heard speculation about Aburizal considering another term as party chairman. The former minister, however, said that he had yet to receive any confirmation from Aburizal.

“Aburizal stayed silent when asked about the rumors. But I got the sense from his gestures that he was reluctant [to run again as party chairman],” Fadel said.

Senior Golkar member Fahmi Idris, who is also a former minister, also said that he had heard about Aburizal’s intention to extend his tenure as chairman by running again in the party’s next chairmanship election.

“Golkar’s statute opens the possibility of an incumbent chairman seeking another term. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s the appropriateness that matters,” he said.

Aburizal’s spokesman, Lalu Mara Satria Wangsa, said that he had not heard from Aburizal about the latter intending to seek a second term. However, Lalu Mara, who is also the party’s deputy secretary general, indicated that there could be numerous party executives who wished to have Aburizal retain his position for another five years.

Only one figure has ever served as Golkar chairman for two consecutive terms, namely Amir Moertono, a retired military general who was also a crony of former president Soeharto and served as Golkar chairman from 1973 to 1983.

Golkar has been experiencing intensifying internal rifts following the loss of the Prabowo Subianto-Hatta Rajasa presidential ticket, which the party supported.

According to some sources, Aburizal wants to run again because he has not found anyone who would be able to secure his and his family’s interests if he stepped down as chairman.

The two strongest candidates at present — Agung, who is currently the coordinating people’s welfare minister and Hidayat, who is currently the industry minister — are said to represent factions other than Aburizal’s. Both Agung and Hidayat have been visiting Golkar members in regions to garner their support.

Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sjarif Tjitjip Sutardjo, who is a deputy party chairman and is reportedly close to Aburizal, has been rumored to be another potential hopeful, but has yet to confirm the speculation.

It is not clear, however, when the party’s next national congress to elect a new chairman will take place. Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) political analyst J. Kristiadi criticized the idea of Aburizal running for another term.

“The mounting proposals to expedite chairmanship succession are actually based on disappointment about [Aburizal’s] leadership. He seems to abuse his position to satisfy his ambition,” Kristiadi said. (Bagus BT Saragih)