Akbar, Kalla near expected showdown

The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali

Although the Golkar Party congress organizing committee cleared four contenders on Saturday for the election of the party's chairmanship post, the expected showdown between Akbar Tandjung and Jusuf Kalla is playing to script.

A prolonged debate between supporters of Akbar and Kalla on requirements imposed on candidates forced an almost 10-hour delay in the voting, which was originally scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m.

One of the candidates, Slamet Effendy Yusuf, a party deputy chairman who was considered an outsider in the race, announced his withdrawal during his presentation of his vision and mission, saying he was not the best figure to lead the party.

The other contender, Marwah Daud Ibrahim, decided to go ahead with her bid to become the first woman to lead Golkar.

Each candidate was given five minutes to present their platform before the voting began.

A quarrel between supporters of Kalla, who is the Vice President, and incumbent party chairman Akbar earlier in the day centered on amended standing orders that ban party members who have links to other parties from contesting the top post.

Kalla's supporters said the requirement was proposed by Akbar's camp to block Kalla's attempt to win the chairmanship.

During the presidential elections, Kalla joined forces with Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who was nominated by the Democratic Party.

The proposal was finally scrapped due to widespread opposition.

Another bone of contention was the change in the lineup of the party's executive board that would include the introduction of a deputy chairman, who could serve as an acting chairman. The post would also be introduced in all party structures from the provincial to village level.

Both camps of Akbar and Kalla planned to extend the central board composition to include as many figures as possible to bring in those who have supported their nomination.

Kalla, who already joined forces with the House of Representatives Speaker Agung Laksono, had agreed to create a deputy chairman position, which would likely be granted to Agung.

On the other hand, Akbar's camp had pledged to give Wiranto the post of chairman of the advisory board. Akbar said that he would be included in decision making over strategic issues.

A member of the Golkar delegation from Nangroe Aceh Darussalam told the plenary session the proposed amendment would cause a disruption to existing party structures down to the village level as they would have to stage a new election.

"It would be better if we abide by the existing rules," he said.

A delegation from Lampung provincial branch said that it supported the amendment as it would help the party cope with the sweeping changes that had occurred in the society.

A delegate from the provincial branch of South Sulawesi, the home province of Kalla, said that the debate had been stage- managed by Golkar's old guard Abdul Gafur to favor one candidate over another.

After a heated debate involving pushing, shoving and shouting, the plenary meeting agreed that the position of deputy chairman for the party executive board from provincial chapters to village branches was not mandatory.

Also on Saturday, another Golkar member who had aspired for Golkar's top post Lt. Gen. (ret) Prabowo Subianto, the son-in-law of former president Soeharto, made a sudden move by switching to Kalla's camp. The move came just after Wiranto confirmed his support for Akbar.

Akbar had said earlier that he would include Prabowo in his new lineup of Golkar leadership.

During their military service, Wiranto and Prabowo were locked in bitter dispute over who would assume the Indonesian Military (TNI) leadership.

"I don't want to join his (Akbar) camp as they would lead Golkar in an undemocratic way. The camp will pair Wiranto and Akbar in the race for the presidency in 2009. It is against democratic principles as candidates have to go through a convention," Prabowo told reporters.