With Unity Secured, Golkar Prepares for 2024

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 were made.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The race for the number-one position of the Golkar Party ended even before the party’s national congress was officially opened on Tuesday night.

In its bid to win the 2024 legislative election and to nominate a candidate from its own ranks for the 2024 presidential election, Golkar will resort to acclamation to reappoint Airlangga Hartarto as the party’s chairman for the 2019-2024 period.

The acclamation scenario became likely after most of the nine candidates for the party’s top post withdrew from the race, just three hours before the 10th Golkar National Conference in Jakarta was opened by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.

If Golkar is shaking, we are shaking.

President Jokowi said in his remarks that Golkar was an asset that could impact the national political atmosphere, so its unity had to be maintained. The President expressed appreciation for the agreement between Airlangga and Bambang Soesatyo, which led to the latter withdrawing from the election for the party’s chairman.

"If [the situation within] Golkar is heated, national politics is also heated. If Golkar is shaking, we are shaking. Actually, this is no (different) from democracy. But, if there is a way of brotherhood, harmony, why should we resort to a heated way," said the President.

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

Jusuf Kalla (second left, facing camera), General Chairperson of the 2004-2009 Golkar Party Central Executive Board (DPP), accompanied by Deputy Chairman of the Golkar Party Board of Trustees Theo L Sambuaga (far left) and senior Golkar Party politician Fahmi Idris (right, facing camera), attend a public discussion organized by the Jenggala Center with the theme "Golkar Strengthens Indonesian Political Participation" in Jakarta, Tuesday (3/12/2019). The discussion highlighted the dynamics occurring in the Golkar Party ahead of the holding of the National Conference on 3-6 December 2019.

Acclamation

Bambang, Airlangga\'s strongest contender, withdrew from the race after meeting with Airlangga and Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan, who was also a senior Golkar figure, before the congress was opened. The other prospective candidates followed suit.

Thus, there were only two remaining candidates, namely Airlangga and Ridwan Hisjam. Airlangga is expected to pass the nomination stage and be reelected through acclamation in the election process at the Golkar Party’s national conference held from Dec. 3 to 6, because he has already got the support of the majority of the voting rights holders totaling 560 votes.

With the possibility of Airlangga being unanimously appointed as chairman on Thursday (5/12), the congress in the next three days will focus on discussing strategies for the simultaneous regional election of 2020 and the 2024 general elections.

He stated firmly to be loyal to the mutual commitment.

Airlangga expressed appreciation for Bambang\'s withdrawal. According to him, Bambang had faithfully kept the commitment, so that Golkar would not be divided because of the contestation. "He stated firmly to be loyal to the mutual commitment," Airlangga said in his address at the opening of the congress.

After meeting Luhut and Airlangga, Bambang said he had decided to withdraw because of the results of Luhut\'s lobbying with Airlangga and encouragement from senior Golkar figures, namely Aburizal Bakrie, Akbar Tandjung and Agung Laksono, who helped ask the party’s provincial, district and city leaders to support Airlangga.

Bambang admitted that he had resigned from the candidacy to maintain Golkar\'s unity in facing the 2024 election. “When seniors get together and give advice and opinions, we, the young people, have to obey," he said.

Bambang\'s withdrawal came with a condition. The secretary-general of the Golkar Party, Lodewijk F Paulus, said a number of conditions were agreed to as part of the lobbying. For example, Airlangga must accommodate Bambang\'s supporters in the party’s leadership structure, in DPR positions and other positions, such as ambassadors. Bambang should maintain his position as the chairman of the MPR.

ANTARA FOTO/PUSPA PERWITASARI

Deputy coordinator of the Golkar Party Bambang Soesatyo (second left) submits a registration document for candidacy for the Golkar Party’s general chairperson post to election committee chairperson Maman Abdulrahman (second right) at the Golkar Party’s Central Executive Board (DPP) office, Jakarta, Monday (2/12/2019). Bambang, Airlangga\'s strongest contender, withdrew from the race after meeting with Airlangga and Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan (3/12/2019).

Airlangga to become a candidate

According to Lodewijk, party unity is important to achieve Golkar\'s big goal in the 2024 election. Therefore, as much as possible the factions that emerged from the election of the party’s chairman during the congress should be minimized.

Golkar, he said, had set a target of winning the legislative elections and wanted to nominate a candidate from its own ranks for the presidential election. With the experience of leading the party for two periods, as well as being a minister in Joko “Jokowi” Widodo\'s administration, also for two periods, Airlangga stands a good chance of becoming Golkar’s 2024 presidential candidate.

"Airlangga already has popularity, now it is about increasing support from provincial and regency and city level administrators to increase their electability and be able to compete in 2024," Lodewijk said.

Since the start of the Reform Era, the number of votes collected by Golkar has shown a downward trend. The highest number of votes won by the party was recorded in the 2004 elections. At that time, Golkar won 24.4 million votes, or 21.6 percent of the total national vote, placing it as the winner of the election. Golkar has struggled to repeat previous achievements ever since, with its share of the vote continuing to fall.