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.