Lessons from a History of Internal Conflicts

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

A billboard announcing candidacy registration for the Golkar Party chairmanship is installed at the Golkar Party’s Central Executive Board (DPP) Office, Jakarta, Friday (29/11/2019). Ahead of the Golkar Party National Congress on 4-6 December 2019 in Jakarta, preparations have been made. Besides the Golkar DPP office, at a number of points in Jakarta, the Golkar flags billboards for the candidacy of the Golkar general chairman have been installed.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The race for the number one position of the Golkar Party during the party’s upcoming National Congress has the potential to divide the party.

The Golkar Party’s elites need to learn from previous conflicts in order to prevent internal divisions from destroying the party. The Golkar Party’s National Conference will be held on December 3 to 6, 2019, in Jakarta.

In addition to discussing the party\'s preparations for the 2020 regional elections and the 2024 general election, the National Congress will also elect its new chairman, which will lead the party over the next five years.

As of Sunday, eight candidates for the Golkar Party’s chairmanship have taken registration forms since the organizing committee of the National Congress opened registration on Thursday.

However, there seems to be fierce competition between the Golkar Party’s current chairman, Airlangga Hartarto, and party elite Bambang Soesatyo, who is concurrently the chairman of the People\'s Consultative Assembly (MPR).

On Sunday, Bambang\'s supporters held a press conference during which they threatened to hold a rival congress. "If we still find that there is still a substantial violation, we will reaffirm that we will prepare our own congress," said the spokesman of Bambang\'s supporters, Victus Murin.

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

The situation at the Golkar Party’ Central Executive Board (DPP) Office, Jakarta, Friday (29/11/2019). Ahead of the Golkar Party National Congress on 4-6 December 2019 in Jakarta, preparations have been made. Besides the Golkar DPP office, at a number of points in Jakarta, the Golkar flags billboards for the candidacy of the Golkar general chairman have been installed.

He asked the organizing committee to hold the National Congress in accordance with the party’s articles of association and stop political intimidation against regional leaders who hold voting rights.

Bambang’s loyalists also demanded that Airlangga ask for written permission from President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo before taking part in the race for the party’s chairmanship. According to Law No. 39/2008, an active chairman of organizations funded by the state budget or regional budget cannot hold a ministerial position in the government.

The Airlangga faction also asked Bambang\'s camp not to try to delegitimize the National Congress. One of the Golkar Party’s senior executives Ace Hasan Syadzily acknowledged that during the last few days, Airlangga had traveled to a number of regions. However, the trips were carried out only for a regular meeting and to listen to the aspirations of regional officials.

The support was given due the initiatives of leaders in provincial and district and city branches.

Ace denied there was intimidation. “It was not true that the support given to [Airlangga] was due to pressure. The support was given due the initiatives of leaders in provincial and district and city branches," Ace said.

He also opposed the opinion that Airlangga as the party’s chairman was not allowed to hold a ministerial position and needed written permission from the President to join the race for the party’s election. According to him, the ban on holding a position as a minister and chairman had been under a

judicial review in 2010. In its decision, the Constitutional Court revoked the regulation and allowed a minister to concurrently hold the position of a chairman of a political party.

"There has been no intention from the beginning to make the National Congress an event to unite and maintain the solidity of the party. What was on his mind was only to hold a rival congress," Ace said of Bambang’s maneuver.

The competition between Airlangga and Bambang has been going on for a long time. Both had agreed to end the competition. Bambang, who serves as chairman of the MPR, will support Airlangga as the party’s chairman if he accommodates Bambang\'s supporters to hold key positions in the House of Representatives and in the party’s leadership.

Not the same

The chairman of the Golkar Party’s steering board, Agung Laksono, who was involved in the Golkar internal conflict in 2014, said the hot temperature before the National Congress was common within the party. But, he said, the current situation was not the same as in 2014. He therefore requested the party’s leaders not to hold a rival congress as it could lead to disunity.

"At that time [2014], from the beginning the congress was designed to only win a certain person. Now, it is different. The situation is not the same. There is no need for a rival congress," he said.

The chairman of the Golkar Party’s board of trustees, Aburizal Bakrie, who was also the main actor in the 2014 conflict, had appealed for members to avoid friction during the upcoming congress and take a consensus stance to solve the differences.

Every member has the right to advance as a candidate for the chairmanship.

The Golkar Party’s honorary chairman, Akbar Tandjung, said that, in order to prevent conflict, the mechanism for the election of the chairman must be decided by the voters based on the party\'s articles of association. "Every member has the right to advance as a candidate for the chairmanship," Akbar said.

Battered

The rivalry is not new in the Golkar Party. After the reformation, the succession of Golkar\'s power was almost always colored by conflicts and vested interests. The conflicts within the party had even led to the establishment of new parties such as Gerindra, NasDem and Hanura.

In 2014, Golkar was split into two factions. One was led by leaders elected in the Ancol National Conference led by Agung Laksono and the other one was led by party executives elected in the Bali National Conference led by Aburizal Bakrie. The conflicts, which lasted for 1.5 years, had really hurt he party.

In the 2015 simultaneous local elections, Golkar suffered a big loss. The party machine in the region, divided as a result of the conflict, could not work optimally. Of the 134 candidate pairs (for governor and vice governor or regent and vice regent) that were supported by Golkar, only 55 pairs won. Of the 12 single candidates nominated by Golkar, no one won.

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

Golkar Party flags are installed on an overpass on Jl. KH Mas Mansyur, Jakarta, Sunday (12/1/2019). The Golkar Party will hold a National Conference (Munas) on 3-6 December 2019 in Jakarta. The election of Golkar’s general chairman will be one of the agendas in the National Conference.

The director of Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting, Sirojuddin Abbas, said that Golkar needed to learn from history, or else risk facing the same electoral failure, as it needed cohesive party machines at the grassroots level so as not to fail in 2020.

However, Sirojuddin said, the culture of competition in Golkar could also be a positive thing. In the midst of the trend of parties that have relied on the same patron for years, competition in Golkar is relatively more open, meaning the party is not controlled by a certain elite. (AGE)