Golkar splinter group seeks Akbar's downfall

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Yogyakarta

The internal split within Golkar Party is intensifying, with a group of dissident politicians seeking to unseat chairman Akbar Tandjung and reopen the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) corruption case in which he was acquitted.

The politicians, who were recently dismissed for defying the executive board's order to support the election bid of Megawati Soekarnoputri, said Akbar was responsible for the failure to boost the votes for the incumbent president in the Sept. 20 runoff.

"Akbar must step down immediately, without waiting for the national congress in December, as his decision to support Megawati was a big mistake. If he insists on maintaining his post, Golkar will be abandoned by its constituents," said Fahmi Idris, one of nine dissidents who have been shown the door and almost certainly will lose their seats in the House of Representatives.

Fahmi said many Golkar regental branches had demanded that Akbar quit the chairmanship.

"They are mostly party branches in regencies where Megawati looks certain to lose. The branches in West Java, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Central Java, Sulawesi and Kalimantan are united in asking Akbar to resign. Some of them have come to me and asked me to convey their wishes to Akbar," said Fahmi, whose position as chairman of Golkar's faction at the People's Consultative Assembly has been taken over by Freddy Latumahina.

Golkar will organize its congress in mid-December in Denpasar to elect the party chairman for the 2004/2009 period. Akbar has hinted at seeking reelection.

Golkar, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and other major parties declared on Aug. 19 the Nationhood Coalition to support Megawati's bid for the presidency.

However, the move apparently bore little fruit as Megawati is currently trailing behind Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the General Elections Commission (KPU)'s computerized vote counting.

As of 8 p.m., Susilo garnered 61.1 percent of the vote, against Megawati's 38.8 percent.

Fahmi and fellow Golkar politicians who have been fired challenged their dismissal. They filed on Wednesday a suit against Akbar with the West Jakarta District Court accusing him of violating the party's standing orders.

According to the party's standing orders, a member must be given at least two reprimands, with an interval of 20 days before he or she could be fired. Golkar's executive board issued the first and the second warnings on Sept. 2 and Sept. 8, respectively.

The politicians flew to Yogyakarta later in the day to meet Governor Hamengkubuwono X, who is also a Golkar senior member to discuss the internal friction, at the latter's palace.

Hamengkubuwono said he agreed to mediate between the two conflicting parties and facilitate a meeting.

Fahmi said he had also sought help from Papua Governor Jap Salossa and Gorontalo Governor Fadel Muhammad, who are both Golkar members, to settle the dispute.

After the talks with Hamengkubuwono, dismissed Golkar member Anton Lesiangi said he had evidence that Akbar had lied in court when he was being tried for his involvement in the misuse of state funds intended to feed the poor.

"Akbar lied when he said that he had never received Rp 40 billion from Bulog," Anton said.

He said that the money was later distributed to some of his close aides in the party such as Rambe Kamaruzaman, Mahadi Sinambela, Enggartiasto Lukito and Fadel Muhammad.

Responding to the dissidents' latest moves, a number of Akbar loyalists, among others Ade Komaruddin, Ferry Mursyidan Baldan and Akil Muchtar said the demand could not be considered as they were no longer party members.