Akbar barrels forward, Kalla still in the game

M. Taufiqurrahman and Kornelius Purba, The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali

With less than 24 hours to go until the Golkar Party's chairmanship election, Vice President Jusuf Kalla flew into Bali on Friday evening to make a last-ditch effort to salvage his severely damaged chances against rival Akbar Tandjung.

Meanwhile, Akbar claimed to have secured the needed support from a former rival, Gen. (ret) Wiranto.

"We have come to an agreement that if I am (reelected) Golkar Party chairman, Pak Wiranto would assume chairmanship of the advisory board. He did not seem to mind the proposal," he told reporters on the sidelines of the congress.

Akbar said that, to compensate Wiranto's backing of his camp, he would give more power to the post of advisory board chairman.

"The advisory board will be included in the decision-making process on strategic issues ... (and) play a substantial role in the future," he said.

In a bid to sever Golkar's ties with Soeharto's New Order government, a extraordinary congress in 1998 -- during which Akbar was elected chairman -- reduced the authorities of the advisory board.

During his heyday, Soeharto used the advisory board -- which he chaired -- as a personal vehicle to meddle with party affairs.

Separately, Wiranto confirmed on Friday that he had agreed to back Akbar in his reelection bid.

Of the five potential candidates for the chairmanship, only Akbar, Kalla and Slamet Effendy Yusuf had submitted their application forms by 11 p.m. to the congress organizing committee, one hour before the deadline.

The election will take place on Saturday afternoon.

Akbar, known for his politicking skills, surprised the congress on Thursday by changing the standing order and practically eliminating Kalla's and Wiranto's chances -- even to enter the race.

The new rules requires a chairmanship candidate to have held an executive position on the central executive board or regional executive board within the last five years, which eliminates Wiranto.

Another rule, that a candidate should never have been endorsed by another party for a political post, eliminates Kalla, who ran alongside Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono under the Democratic Party banner in the presidential election.

Shortly after Wiranto agreed to join his camp, Akbar another surprise revision to the standing order, proposing that all of Golkar's 440 regental branches be given voting rights in addition to its previous electorate of 33 provincial chapters.

This move could finish off Kalla's chances in the event that he is allowed into the race, as Akbar and Wiranto have broad grassroots support.

After successfully changing the party's standing order in their favor, the Akbar camp got another boost on Friday, when its 33 provincial branches and affiliated organizations accepted the incumbent's accountability report for the 1998-2004 term.

Despite the approval, most of the provincial chapters remained noncommittal as to their preference in the Dec. 19 election, with only eight of the provincial branches and affiliates verbally stating their endorsement for Akbar, including Riau.