Golkar Agrees with Proposal to Train Regional Head Candidates to Prevent KPK Sting Operations

Golkar Secretary-General M Sarmuji has agreed with Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian’s proposal for political parties to strengthen their party schools and train regional head candidates before nominating them in regional elections. Sarmuji said regional heads nominated by Golkar are the party’s responsibility.

“Yes, what the Home Affairs Minister said is entirely correct. First, the party certainly has an obligation to carry out political education, and in this context political recruitment, and because of that responsibility, those recruited must be people of integrity with professional capability,” Sarmuji told reporters at the Training of Trainers (TOT) event of the Golkar Party Academy at the Golkar Central Executive Board office in West Jakarta on Monday (3/8/2026).

Sarmuji said the party is obliged to train cadres assigned to become public officials even before they take up those posts. This is necessary so that cadres do not go off track once they become public officials.

“Therefore, the party is obliged to provide training from an early stage, even before they are assigned as public officials. When they become public officials, it is also the party’s obligation to keep every member who holds public office on the proper rails,” he said.

Even so, Sarmuji once again questioned the high cost of politics at present. According to him, this is one of the factors that makes regional heads vulnerable to being caught in sting operations (OTT) by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

“However, there is an unavoidable factor that must also be evaluated, one that in our collective consciousness, in our common sense, has long been regarded as the root of the problem. Namely, the high cost of the political process for someone to become a regional head candidate. That political root must of course be resolved,” he said.

Sarmuji urged that deliberations on the Election Bill also address this issue. He asked that the matter be discussed so that a solution can be found.

“Therefore, in the process of deliberating political laws, especially the regional elections law, we must examine that root problem together and seek genuine solutions. Not solutions born of an incorrect diagnosis, but solutions based on a diagnosis we have all understood together,” he said.

Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian had earlier asked political parties to strengthen their party schools and train regional head candidates before nominating them in regional elections. He also proposed that political parties reinforce their cadreisation processes before nominating regional head candidates.

“Well, this is baiting. Let us leave that to the lawmakers — whether they want to go through regional councils, it is not prohibited by the constitution. It would simply require amending the Regional Elections Law. Our constitution only says they must be elected democratically. Democratic can mean direct or through representation,” Tito said at the House of Representatives.

“But leave it to the lawmakers, who may perhaps need to consider my view, that it is the parties that must truly strengthen their party schools,” he continued.