Golkar falling apart over support of Megawati
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The leadership of Golkar is facing a serious challenge in deciding what to do about the growing number of party members -- both executive and grassroots -- who have openly defied the party leaders' dictate to support Megawati Soekarnoputri in the presidential election.
Political analyst Maswadi Rauf of the University of Indonesia said that the dilemma for the country's largest party was between maintaining unity, one of its strongest features, and appearing firm against internal dissent.
"If Golkar's executive board wants to keep party unity, it has to tolerate the maneuvers of its members," Maswadi said during a discussion here on Friday.
A number of prominent Golkar executives such as former ministers Fahmi Idris and Marzuki Darusman have said they are supporting Megawati's rival, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his running mate and Golkar member Jusuf Kalla.
Signs of friction were made public shortly after Golkar leader Akbar Tandjung threatened to dismiss anyone who wanted to make their own choice on the ballot.
Also speaking during Friday's discussion were Golkar deputy chairman Rambe Kamarulzaman, who supports Megawati and her running mate Hasyim Muzadi, and Golkar veteran Burhanuddin Napitupulu who supports Susilo-Kalla.
Rambe stated that Golkar welcomed differences of political ideas and opinions.
"However, when the party makes a decision, all party members must follow it. That is democracy," Rambe claimed.
Golkar's decision to support Megawati follows the failure of its candidate Gen. (ret) Wiranto to make it to the Sept. 20 runoff.
The decision was made at a leadership meeting on Aug. 15 attended by leaders from 31 provincial chapter heads, central executive board members, and the party's other key organizations.
The party was divided, with 24 provincial chapters supporting Megawati, two (Papua and South Sulawesi) backing Susilo and the rest choosing to remain neutral.
Akbar and his loyalists claimed that the decision was made through a democratic process.
Several Golkar leaders, however, challenged the decision, saying that it was the intention of the party's elite leaders and they were ignoring the wishes of the grassroots members.
Golkar veteran Napitupulu said he and many others had the support from party leaders in the provinces and regencies. He added that Golkar leaders ignored public aspirations, and cited the fact that in South Sulawesi, more than 60 percent of the people voted Golkar in the legislative election, but most of those voted for Susilo -- over Golkar's Wiranto -- in the first round the presidential election.
Out of 24 Golkar regency chapters in West Sumatra, 20 have declared their support for Susilo-Kalla, he said.
Napitupulu added that also in Central Java, from 32 regency chapters in the province, 27 of them supported Susilo-Kalla.
However, the regency chapter delegates were not allowed to vote in the Aug. 15 leadership meeting, instead they were supposedly represented by the leaders of their provincial chapters.
Napitupulu alleged that Golkar's provincial leaders only agreed to support Megawati after being promised preferred positions such as speakers of their local legislatures (DPRD).