Golkar reaffirms loyalty to govt ahead of anticipated reshuffle

Golkar reaffirms loyalty to govt ahead of anticipated reshuffle

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Concluding its two-day leadership meeting on Friday, the Golkar
Party reaffirmed its position as the main supporter of the
current administration as it seeks more seats in the Cabinet
team.

Golkar's deputy chairman Agung Laksono said that despite the
position, his party "would remain critical, objective and
proportional in giving its political support to the government."

"Golkar is actually a major party with 128 seats (out of 550
seats) in the House of Representatives. Golkar will play a
leading role in forming coalitions with other parties to back up
the government and its policies," he said after officially
closing the meeting.

Agung, who is also Speaker of the House, said that the party
had yet to decide with which party or parties it would attempt to
form coalitions with, as "the meeting would entrust its
implementation to its faction in the House."

Despite the absence of a formal coalition, Golkar together
with other parties such as the Democrat Party (PD), Prosperous
Justice Party (PKS), United Development Party (PPP) and the
National Mandate Party (PKB) have been supporting the
government's policies, including the controversial fuel increase
policy in October.

Asked whether Golkar would consequently ask for more seats in
the Cabinet to cement its loyalty to the current government,
Agung claimed that the issue had not been discussed during the
meeting, but quickly added that Golkar was prepared to put
forward its best people if President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
needed them.

Susilo is expected to announce a new Cabinet team in the near
future amid strong public demands for a reshuffle to improve the
government's performance in resolving the country's various
problems. Golkar has two members in the current Cabinet.

Reliable sources in Golkar have claimed that Vice President
Jusuf Kalla, who is also chairman of the party, had proposed four
names to the President for the new Cabinet line-up. The four are
Andi Matalatta, Burhanudin Napitupulu, Theo Sambuaga and Paskah
Suzeta.

Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
political analyst, J. Kristiady, said that with the repositioning
of Golkar, Susilo and Kalla were trying to use the party to
launch a political consolidation process in the House to make
their government more effective over the next four years.

"Secondly, if Golkar can make strong coalitions with other
parties in the House, it will have a good bargaining position to
share power with the government," he said.

Kristiady warned, however, that Golkar could be trapped in
political conflict if Kalla could not control the party's elite
group and could not fulfill all pledges he might have given to
win the party's full support.

"Kalla is actually a newcomer to Golkar and a bigger part of
the party's elite group are supporters of Akbar Tandjung, the former
chairman of Golkar, and those representing the military," he
said.

He also said that if Golkar was given more seats in the
Cabinet, Kalla should accept the rising calls to replace
Coordinating Minister for the Economy Aburizal Bakrie, the
architect of the controversial fuel hike policy.