Akbar looks strong despite verdict

Berni K. Moestafa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Convicted corruptor, and chairman of the Golkar Party, Akbar Tandjung has been receiving increasing support from Golkar executives around the country, giving the impression that he remains firmly ensconced at the helm.

Golkar chapters in Bali, East Java, North Sulawesi, and East and West Kalimantan have lined up firmly behind their embattled chairman, Antara reported.

But such support may be fleeting as the Akbar opposition within the Golkar Party, especially among members from the eastern part of Indonesia, gears up for a campaign to oust him.

"Many local officials have said they received phone calls and letters from Akbar opponents asking them to drop their support for him," a confidante of Akbar's, who refused to be named, told The Jakarta Post.

Nevertheless, what has been made public is the incoming support for Akbar, despite the decision of the Central Jakarta District Court on Wednesday to sentence him to three years in jail for corruption.

Akbar, who is also the House of Representatives speaker, was found guilty of embezzling Rp 40 billion (about US$ 4.44 million) belonging to the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) in early 1999. He denied the charges, and has filed an appeal.

Immediately after the verdict, Golkar executives sprang to his defense and rebuffed any suggestions that he be unseated. For now, Golkar is relying on the high court to exonerate Akbar. In the meantime, he remains at liberty.

Marzuki Achmad, who chairs the Golkar faction in the House, said on Thursday he had received reports that Golkar members nationwide were continuing to support Akbar.

"Everyone has agreed to keep Akbar in his job," he said, adding that a plenary meeting on Friday night would further clarify Golkar's position. "So far, there has been no change in Akbar's position or his activities."

Akbar, widely known as a canny politician, survived efforts to unseat him when he was first declared a suspect in the case earlier this year. Prosecutors ordered him detained for several weeks.

At the time, Golkar's then deputy secretary-general Muchyar Yara urged the chairman to step down, arguing the investigation was hurting the party's image.

Opposition also emerged at the time from Golkar patrons Achmad Arnold Baramuli and Ginandjar Kartasasmita, the latter also a graft suspect, this time involving state oil and gas company Pertamina.

Other camps joined the protest, but analysts said that many of these were intent on toppling Akbar rather than protecting the party's image.

Akbar's response was swift. While he left Baramuli and Ginandjar untouched, he suspended Muchyar and 18 other members when the party held its leadership congress last February.

"Akbar's real power over Golkar doesn't come from authority, it's his politeness in politics that draws sympathy," political analyst Fachry Ali said.

Outside calls for Akbar to step down from his post as House speaker might even prove counterproductive, according to Hermawan Sulistiyo of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI).

"Faced with outside pressure, Golkar is likely to grow stronger instead," Hermawan said.

He said the party had been consolidating since the allegations against Akbar first surfaced in January. The party, however, may prefer for the chairman to keep a low profile for the time being, and let someone else act as front man, he added.

Many analysts view Golkar as the strongest political party in terms of its organizational maturity. Akbar managed to maneuver Golkar out from the shadow of its history as a political machine serving Soeharto's 32-year-long authoritarian regime.

With only a year between Soeharto's fall in 1998 and the general election, Golkar maintained its influence when it came in second in the election, after the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan).