Worried Aburizal suspends Agung

JAKARTA. With former Golkar Party chairman Jusuf Kalla scheduled to lead the country as president-elect Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s deputy for the next five years starting from October, Golkar chairman Aburizal Bakrie is facing a very real threat to his position, which he took over from Kalla five years ago.

Senior party members are intensifying their campaign to oust Aburizal, who backed the losing presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto in the July 9 presidential race.

In a desperate attempt to maintain his position, Aburizal has dismissed Coordinating People’s Welfare Minister Agung Laksono from his position as party deputy chairman following the latter’s aggressive moves to gather support for his chairmanship bid and for an expedited congress to unseat the weakened Aburizal.

Fadel Muhammad, also a Golkar deputy chairman, confirmed on Sunday that Agung’s formal dismissal had been prepared, pending Aburizal’s meeting with Agung scheduled to be held in Jakarta later that day.

“[Agung] is not loyal to Golkar because he supports the PDI-P [Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle] coalition,” Fadel said, referring to the coalition that endorsed the Jokowi-Kalla ticket, which, according to the General Elections Commission (KPU), won the July 9 election.

Agung has declared his intention to run for party chairman and has established a campaign team led by former minister and senior Golkar politician Fahmi Idris.

On Saturday, Fahmi said he was not surprised by Agung’s suspension. “After Aug. 21, there will be a major change of political stance within Golkar. Let’s just wait and see,” he said.

He was referring to the date when the Consitutional Court is scheduled to issue its verdict on Prabowo’s legal challenge to the presidential election result.

Many of Aburizal’s opponents have claimed that a national congress should take place this year. Their argument is based on party statutes stipulating that a chairman’s tenure is for five years. Aburizal was elected in October, 2009.

Aburizal and members of his faction, however, have insisted that the congress must take place next year as mandated by the 2009 congress.

Golkar executive Firman Subagyo said that Agung’s suspension had also been based on the latter’s move to push for an “expedited” party congress.

“He does not respect the formal mechanisms to discuss the idea of having the congress this year. Agung should have been able to talk to other party executives instead of mobilizing support and making statements,” he said.

Also on Sunday, Golkar advisor and Industry Minister MS Hidayat declared his intention to run for party chairman. He is expected to be a serious rival to Agung.

“For the past six months I have received support from numerous politicians and businessmen who want me to run for party chairman,” Hidayat said at his private residence in Bandung, West Java.

Some younger Golkar members, however, have also been tipped as potential dark horses, such as lawmakers Priyo Budi Santoso, Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, Mahyudin and Airlangga Hartarto.

Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) political analyst J. Kristiadi said that Aburizal’s moves to sack his opponents could backfire.

“The mounting demands to unseat Aburizal are based on the hope of consolidating the party after the presidential election, which saw it endorse the losing ticket. Golkar’s next chairman must be a figure who does not abuse the party for his own personal interest,” Kristiadi said. (Bagus BT Saragih and Arya Dipa)