Golkar splinter group seeks Akbar's downfall

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.