Dramatic turn favors Akbar's bid

The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali

The Golkar congress agreed suddenly on Thursday to change the party's standing order and allow regental branches to vote in the election for party leader.

The move expands the party electorate to 484 from 36 previously, and may improve outgoing chairman Akbar Tandjung's chances at reelection.

The congress also agreed that a candidate must be nominated by 150 members to be eligible.

The revision to the party's standing order came as a surprise for Kalla, who was confident that Akbar's camp would not dare to change the standing order, which would only boost Gen. (ret) Wiranto's chance at joining the chairmanship race.

Another stumbling block for Kalla is a new stipulation in the standing order, that a candidate should never have been nominated by any other party to a government post.

Kalla was nominated by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party in the presidential elections.

Until Wednesday evening, Akbar and steering committee members had insisted that only its 33 provincial branches and two affiliated organizations had voting rights.

The about-face was apparently triggered by Vice President Jusuf Kalla's claim on Wednesday of clinching the support of 20 provincial branches, along with Agung Laksono's dropping out of the race and joining forces with Kalla.

Agung had won the House of Representatives speakership election upon Akbar's support.

Akbar, a seasoned politician credited for consolidating Golkar following Soeharto's downfall in 1998, has apparently struck a deal with Gen. (ret) Wiranto, who is tipped to become Golkar advisory board chairman.

During its presidential convention early this year, most regental branches supported Wiranto, Golkar's favored candidate.

The Akbar camp's decision to give the go-ahead for the revisions allegedly came after Wiranto indicated that he would throw his weight behind the outgoing chairman.

According to Ruhut Sitompul, a close friend of Akbar, Wiranto would join the Akbar camp to form a Golkar leadership package: Wiranto is to be accorded advisory board chairman, while Akbar remains party chairman.

Speculation was rife that candidate Marwah Daud Ibrahim and Soeharto's son-in law Lt. Gen. (ret) Prabowo Subianto would also be included in the possible lineup for Golkar's executive board.

Malkan Amin of the South Sulawesi chapter, a Kalla supporter, said despite the revisions, Kalla would stay in the race.

"If Jusuf Kalla is not sure about his candidacy, he would not have joined (in the first place)," he said.

Meanwhile, Akbar received two standing ovations for his accountability speech at the congress on Thursday.

Akbar had to pause at least 10 times during his 40-page speech to shouts of "Hidup Akbar" (Long live Akbar) as he detailed his party career since his election as leader shortly after the fall of Soeharto, Golkar's founder, in 1998.

He underlined how he had transformed the party from Public Enemy No. 1 to become the second largest party in the 1999 elections and largest party in this year's April legislative election.

The congress applauded and stood after they were shown a documentary on the party's journey over the last 6 years, and gave a second standing ovation when he closed his speech with: "I have done my best for the party. It is up to you to judge what I have given to the party."