Delay may boost Akbar election bid<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Golkar executives upped the pressure on Saturday on participants
\nof the party's leadership meeting in Jakarta to delay the
\nselection of its presidential candidate from February to April
\nnext year.<\/p>\n
A number of Golkar executives said the delay was proposed for
\nthe sake of the party's internal consolidation to win the general
\nelections.<\/p>\n
\"Should the announcement be delayed, the entire energy and
\nresources of the party will focus on how to win the election. I
\nhave persuaded many chapters to support the idea,\" Agun Gunandjar
\nSudarsa, the Golkar executive in charge of legislation, said on
\nthe sidelines of the meeting at the Shangri-La Hotel in Central
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
He claimed that at least 20 of the 30 Golkar provincial
\nchapters had thrown their weight behind the delay.<\/p>\n
Mohammad Hasbi and Zamzami Noer from Central Java and South
\nSumatra chapters respectively concurred, saying they believed the
\npostponement of the election of the presidential candidate would
\nhelp the party regain its supremacy in the election.<\/p>\n
Based on Golkar's convention rules, the preconvention
\nscheduled for Oct. 20 and Oct. 21 will reduce the seven
\ncandidates to five before the party selects its sole candidate in
\nFebruary next year.<\/p>\n
Some Golkar executives said the delay would give the
\npresidential candidates no choice but to campaign for the party
\nahead of the general elections on April 5.<\/p>\n
Golkar finished second behind the Indonesian Democratic Party
\nof Struggle in the 1999 election, winning 22 percent of the vote.<\/p>\n
After a selection process in regental and provincial chapters,
\nbusinessman Aburizal Bakrie, media mogul Surya Paloh, former
\nIndonesian Military chief Gen. (ret) Wiranto, party chairman
\nAkbar Tandjung, former chief of the Army's Strategic Reserve
\nCommand (Kostrad) Lt. Gen. (ret.) Prabowo Subianto, and
\nYogyakarta Governor Sultan Hamengku Buwono X qualified for the
\npreconvention, scheduled for Monday to Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Many believe the delay to the convention will also give the
\nparty chairman, Akbar Tandjung, more time to contest the
\nconvention, pending a ruling from the Supreme Court (MA) on his
\nconviction in a graft case.<\/p>\n
\"If the selection of Golkar's definite presidential candidate
\ntakes place in February and the MA has not delivered its verdict,
\nGolkar cadres will not vote for Akbar,\" a party figure said.<\/p>\n
The proposal was criticized by other Golkar leaders, including
\ndeputy chairmen Fahmi Idris and Marzuki Darusman.<\/p>\n
Fahmi said the delay would only show that Golkar was
\ninconsistent in implementing its own rules.<\/p>\n
\"Golkar must not easily change rules because it will only
\ntarnish its image,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Marzuki added that the party's executive board had no basis to
\ndelay the schedule.<\/p>\n
\"If there is a proposal to delay the schedule, it must come
\nfrom the provincial chapter with genuine arguments,\" he said.<\/p>\n
According to Marzuki, the reasons behind the proposal to delay
\nthe election of the party's presidential candidate were outdated,
\nas they had been rejected during the previous leadership meeting
\nlast April.<\/p>\n
Chairman of the North Maluku chapter, Yamin Tawari, meanwhile,
\nurged Golkar leaders to set a good example by consistently
\ncomplying with all the rules of the game.<\/p>\n
He suggested the leadership meeting drop the proposal to delay
\nthe convention, but focus on the strategy to win the election.<\/p>\n
\"Such a debate on the proposal will be a waste of time,\" Yamin
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The country will hold the legislative elections on April 5 and
\nthe direct presidential election on July 5 next year, with the
\nrun-off on Sept. 20.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/delay-may-boost-akbar-election-bid-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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