SBY surrounded by loyalists,son in new Dems lineup

JAKARTA. The new lineup of the Democratic Party’s central board is expected to be filled with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s loyalists, while his son, Edhie “Ibas” Baskoro Yudhoyono, will stay on as the party’s secretary-general.

Yudhoyono is also expected to announce his resignation as chair of the party’s board of patrons and honorary council, party patron and Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Jero Wacik said on Thursday.

“He [Yudhoyono] has listened to the people, who were concerned that he would be too preoccupied with the running of the party. So, it is has been confirmed that he will let go two of his four leadership posts within the party,” Jero told reporters at the State Palace.

Jero also said the new party lineup was due to be finalized this week.

He said Yudhoyono would retain only two positions: head of the party’s supreme assembly and party chairman. Yudhoyono was appointed the party’s new chairman, replacing Anas Urbaningrum who is now a graft suspect, at the party’s extraordinary congress in Bali last month.

Jero also made it clear that Ibas would remain as secretary-general of the party despite criticism that his presence would reflect his family’s stranglehold of the party.

The new lineup is expected to include three new deputy chairs.

Party spokesman Andi Nurpati said the five deputy chair positions were to accommodate different factions in the party.

Speculation is rife that Yudhoyono has selected Democratic Party politicians to fill four of the posts. The four are lawmakers Max Sopacua, Jhonny Allen Marbun, East Java Governor Soekarwo, and head of the Democratic Party’s faction at the House of Representatives, Nurhayati Assegaf.

Both Andi and Jero, however, refused to comment on the speculation. They also claimed not to know whether Max and Jhonny, currently deputy party chairmen, would retain their positions.

When asked about the future for Zannuba “Yenny” Arrifah Chafsoh, daughter of late president Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid, within the party, Jero said that only Yudhoyono could make any decision regarding her position on the party’s central board.

Yenny and her New Indonesian National Sovereignty Party (PKBIB) are said to have reached a deal to join the ruling party. Parts of the deal include Yenny being given one of the three new deputy chairs, and several PKBIB legislative candidates running in the 2014 legislative election under the Democratic Party’s banner.

Sources within the Democratic Party have claimed, however, that the deal had created resentment within the party.

There have reportedly been a number of complaints about Democratic candidates being removed from the party’s list of candidates to make way for the PKBIB candidates.

There are also rumblings about Yenny being ineligible for a deputy chairmanship, given her short stint within the party.

“Yenny is a national figure. We hope that if she does join us, she will bring more supporters to the Democratic Party,” Jero said.

Jero also confirmed that there would be a reshuffle of the heads of departments. “Some positions will be juggled and swapped. Almost no one will be expelled,” he said, dismissing rumors that Yudhoyono would launch a massive reorganization by kicking out all Anas’ supporters from the central executive board.

Andi said the party would submit its new organizational structure to the Law and Human Rights Ministry within the next few days. “We are working hard to finish it as soon as possible,” Andi said. (Bagus BT Saragih)