Akbar contributes to Golkar revival<\/p>\n
Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Although Akbar Tandjung and George W. Bush are of a different
\npolitical caliber, to some extent some parallels can be drawn
\nbetween the two political leaders as they are both loved and
\nhated by the people.<\/p>\n
Yet, the two have a experienced a different fate: Bush won
\nreelection in the recent U.S. presidential election while Akbar
\nwas defeated in the recent Golkar Party congress in Nusa Dua,
\nBali.<\/p>\n
As with Bush, who was fiercely criticized for his
\ncontroversial policy in Iraq and Afghanistan, Akbar has been the
\ntarget of strong criticism and protests from party members for
\nhis decision to form the Nationhood Coalition with the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party of Struggle and a few minority parties.<\/p>\n
The purpose of the coalition was to garner support for the
\nreelection of Megawati Soekarnoputri in the recent presidential
\nelection, and it left no space for opposition.<\/p>\n
With the support of his loyalists in the party, Akbar
\nsuspended Jusuf Kalla (who ran with presidential candidate Susilo
\nBambang Yudhoyono in the runoff) from his position in the party
\nand dismissed several other party members who formed the Forum
\nfor (Golkar) Party Reform to support the Susilo-Kalla ticket.<\/p>\n
As a result, Akbar was defeated in the scramble and the
\ncoalition failed to propel Megawati to victory, a strong factor
\nthat put Akbar in a losing position during the five-day congress.<\/p>\n
The delegates from 32 provinces, who presented their
\nevaluation of Akbar's leadership in the past five years, accepted
\nAkbar's accountability speech. He also gained political support
\nfrom more than 450 regental delegates, indicating that he would
\nlikely retain his leadership of the party.<\/p>\n
However, during the election, Akbar had to swallow the bitter
\npill of defeat as he bowed down to businessman Jusuf Kalla, the
\nincumbent vice president, who won the majority of votes.<\/p>\n
In the second round of the vote, Akbar gained only 156 votes
\nwhile Kalla enjoyed a sweeping victory with a majority of 326
\nvotes.<\/p>\n
To some, 59-year-old Akbar Tandjung will now be a political
\nhas-been, following his failure to retain the leadership of the
\nparty.<\/p>\n
He will no longer make field tours to regions to attend Golkar
\nmeetings and party cadres will no longer meet him to seek
\napproval of the party's central board for any gubernatorial,
\nregental, or municipal elections.<\/p>\n
Having no more role in the party and losing the opportunity to
\nfulfill his ambition to run in the 2009 presidential election,
\nAkbar has said he would spend much more time at home with his
\nfive children and his wife Krisnina Maharani.<\/p>\n
\"Although I no longer have a position in the party, I will be
\navailable to assist the progress of the party in the future,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Despite the defeat, which many also perceive as a strong slap
\nin the face for Akbar and his supporters, he demonstrated
\ngraciousness in defeat by hugging his strong rival Vice President
\nJusuf Kalla, who won the party chairmanship for the next five
\nyears.<\/p>\n
Before more than 1,600 party members who took part in the
\ncongress and millions of people who were watching the congress on
\nTV, Akbar called on Golkar, under Kalla's leadership, to remain
\ncritical of the government -- despite Kalla's vice presidency.<\/p>\n
Despite his defeat that might indicate an end of his political
\ncareer, Akbar has set \"a good example\" of a high-caliber
\npolitician who became widely accepted and loved by Golkar cadres
\nand supporters.<\/p>\n
Akbar, who was well-known as the favored protege of former
\npresident Soeharto during the New Order era, won broad support
\nfrom party supporters for his decisive role in reviving Golkar.<\/p>\n
The party had been condemned, with calls for it to be
\ndissolved during the reform era that started in 1998, for its
\nfull support for Soeharto's 32-year authoritarian regime.<\/p>\n
Akbar gained much experience of working in political and mass
\norganizations and held several ministerial jobs during the New
\nOrder era.<\/p>\n
He was born in Sorkam, Sibolga, North Sumatra, on Aug. 14,
\n1945, grew up in Jakarta and graduated from the school of
\ntechnology of the University of Indonesia. He met with success in
\nleading Golkar as the party to gain the second largest number of
\nvotes in the 1999 general election and the majority vote in the
\n2004 legislative election.<\/p>\n
The former chairman of the Indonesian Youth Committee (KNPI)
\nand the Indonesian Muslim Students Association (HMI) demonstrated
\nhis political skills when he successfully convinced a panel of
\nSupreme Court justices that he was not guilty in the Rp 40
\nbillion Bulog scandal, a major graft case that many believed
\nAkbar used to finance the party's campaign for the 1999 election.<\/p>\n
Many political analysts see Akbar as a high-caliber politician
\nwho has very fast footwork when involved in political lobbying
\nfor his own interests and those of his party's.<\/p>\n
The Akbar camp showed its maturity in politics when it
\nsuccessfully converted Golkar into a proreform political party at
\nits 1999 extraordinary congress.<\/p>\n
Many party hacks became dormant while others set up their own
\nparties in the wake of the push for reform, but Akbar was able to
\nachieve a relatively smooth transition by repackaging the party,
\neven though its content and strong network remained the same.<\/p>\n
His performance in the 1999 election and strong lobbying with
\nother parties gave him the position of speaker in the House of
\nRepresentatives, while Golkar's victory in the 2004 general
\nelection almost handed him a place as a candidate in the recent
\npresidential election and for reelection in the recent party
\ncongress.<\/p>\n
Aware of Golkar's new position as the ruling party, Akbar
\ncalled on the party, which occupies 123 of the 550 seats in the
\nlegislative body, to remain critical of the executive and
\nmaintain its commitment to reform in all fields.<\/p>\n
He also believes that Kalla, who promised \"to work full time
\nfor the party\", must move the party closer to the people in order
\nto be able to win the 2009 legislative election.<\/p>",
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