Golkar congress brought forward to May 15

JAKARTA. The Golkar Party has brought forward the date of its extraordinary national congress ( Munaslub ) to May 15, from May 23 previously, to ensure President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s can attend the opening ceremony of the event.

It is the fifth time the party has changed its congress schedule.

Nurdin Halid, chairman of the Munaslub Steering Committee, said the schedule adjustment was merely a technical matter and all stages of the event would run as normal, along with the timelines prepared by the committee.

“After we coordinated with the State Palace, we decided to advance the congress schedule to May 15,” he told journalists at the Golkar central executive board ( DPP ) headquarters in Slipi, West Jakarta, on Tuesday.

The Golkar senior politician explained that the congress would be held in Bali from May 15. The main objective of the congress was to elect the party’s new chairman, he added.

Nurdin said the party must adjust its congress dates to match Jokowi’s presidential schedule as he was expected to attend and officially open the meeting.

“We must adjust our schedule to the President’s,” he said.

In the last two months, the Golkar congress dates have been revised four times. In April, party chairman Aburizal Bakrie announced that the congress would be held on May 25 to 27, revising Nurdin’s earlier statement about the postponement of the congress from May 7 to May 17.

Less than two weeks ago, Aburizal announced that Golkar was scheduled to hold its extraordinary national congress on May 23.

Nurdin said there was no guarantee that the schedule would not be adjusted again because the committee referred to President Jokowi’s schedule in deciding the congress date. He added that information about all stages of the congress would be communicated to chairman candidates and their campaign teams.  

Meanwhile, Nurdin gave his assurances that candidates’ campaign trips would run according to plan, with trips reduced to covering only three areas.

Initially, campaign rallies, which will be the only place for would-be candidates to campaign on their mission and vision for the future of the party, were set to be held in Medan in North Sumatra, Semarang in Central Java, Yogyakarta, Balikpapan in East Kalimantan, Makassar in South Sulawesi, Bali and Jakarta.

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court ordered Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna H. Laoly to revoke a decree that acknowledged the legality of the party faction led by Agung Laksono. The minister later issued a decree legalizing the party leadership declared at its national congress ( Munas ) in Bali in November 2014.

The Law and Human Rights Ministry extended the Golkar leadership formed at a Riau congress, which should have expired in 2014, for six months on Jan. 28 to help the party organize a reconciliation congress as part of efforts to end its leadership conflict. Based on the Riau congress, Aburizal is party chairman, Agung is deputy chairman and Idrus Marham is secretary-general.

Golkar has been split into two factions for around a year. The camp led by Aburizal was chosen by the Munas in Bali, while the splinter faction led by Agung was elected at an Ancol Munas in Jakarta in December 2015. (Erika Anindita Dewi)