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Divided Golkar set to have a new leader

JAKARTA — Indonesia’s oldest political party, Golkar, looks set to have a new leader after a fractious and public tussle for power over the past few months.

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JAKARTA — Indonesia’s oldest political party, Golkar, looks set to have a new leader after a fractious and public tussle for power over the past few months.

Since December, Golkar has been split into two camps: Those loyal to incumbent chairman Aburizal Bakrie, and those supporting the pro-government Agung Laksono. Both sides have claimed to be legitimate leaders of the party, with relentless accusations, threats and sanctions flying between them as each camp jostled to garner internal party support.

Mr Bakrie even filed a lawsuit on March 5 to contest an earlier party council decision that had recognised Mr Agung as party leader.

The lawsuit was dropped on Tuesday, with no reason given for Mr Bakrie’s surprising decision. Local media reports say he has finally paved the way for his rival to take full control of the party and Mr Agung will soon have his leadership legalised by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s signing of a presidential regulate.

Mr Agung, 65, was a minister during President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s second term and a speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives. He is also known for his remarks about Singapore on the haze, having criticised the Republic for “behaving like a child”.

If he takes over Golkar, the second-largest party in parliament with 91 seats, it is likely to switch from the opposition Red and White coalition to Mr Widodo’s Great Indonesia alliance. This would give the President more leeway in pushing policies through parliament.

Mr Agung met Megawati Soekarnoputri, the chairwoman of Mr Widodo’s Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) on Monday and pledged to team up with the PDI-P.

“The developments make it clear that the so-called Red and White coalition is a thing of the past,” Mr Keith Loveard, head of risk analysis at Jakarta-based security company Concord Consulting, told TODAY.

Dozens of Mr Bakrie’s loyalists have switched sides following the Widodo administration’s intention to recognise Mr Agung’s reign, including Mr Mahyuddin and Mr Airlangga Hartato, both former executives on Mr Bakrie’s board.

Mr Airlangga said Mr Bakrie’s earlier refusal to reconcile with Mr Agung had damaged the party. “Let’s just focus on Golkar’s future,” he said.

Mr Yunarto Wijaya, executive director of think-tank Charta Politika, said the exodus of party officials to Mr Agung’s camp signalled Mr Bakrie’s flagging power.

“Aburizal is not a strong figure like Mega, Prabowo or SBY,” he said, referring respectively to Ms Megawati, Gerindra party chairman Prabowo Subianto and former Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who all enjoy near-absolute control over their parties.

“Moreover, most politicians nowadays prefer to jump to the side that gives them the most benefits,” Mr Yunarto said.

“This is a disease suffered not only by Golkar, but also by other parties. The absence of an ideology contributes greatly to this tendency. So it’s no surprise that some politicians have announced their move.”

Mr Loveard added: “While there remains some distance to go, Mr Agungis looking very confident. Golkar is the natural party of government and has a lot to offer, but it’s unlikely that Jokowi will want to hand over any ministerial positions just yet.”

He added that an end to the squabbling in Golkar would also allow the party to get organised for the next big electoral test, with the first round of regional polls in December. “So many members will want to get this settled as quickly as possible,” he said.

Mr Bakrie was widely criticised by party members for his poor run in last year’s presidential election, which saw him struggling to find a candidate as his running mate.

Mr Agung also criticised Mr Bakrie for Golkar’s poor result in last April’s legislative elections, as well as his support for Mr Prabowo in the presidential race in July, when he lost to Mr Widodo. AGENCIES

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