The 10th National Conference of the Golkar Party unanimously appointed Airlangga Hartarto as the general chairman. Disunity was prevented. Solidity is maintained.
By
·3 minutes read
The National Conference, which was opened on Tuesday (3/12/2019) and closed on Thursday (5/12), took place after Bambang Soesatyo, Airlangga\'s strongest rival, withdrew from the contestation, in order to avoid party division.
Bambang\'s step was appreciated by participants in the national conference. Applause thundered in the national conference. Airlangga promised to accommodate Bambang\'s supporters in party management, House of Representatives (DPR\'s) apparatuses or other positions.
This agreement could not be separated from the roles of senior Golkar Party figures, namely Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees Aburizal Bakrie, Chairperson of the Advisory Council Akbar Tandjung, and also Chairperson of the Expert Council Agung Laksono.
Golkar senior figure M. Jusuf Kalla even once reminded Airlangga and Bambang about the possibilities that could come true if the battle continued. "I\'ve talked to them, don\'t burn money. Don\'t let it go, it will be endless. Later, it will be transactional, and the one chosen is not the best, but who is the richest," said Kalla (Kompas, Wednesday 4/12/2019).
I\'ve talked to them, don\'t burn money. Don\'t let it go, it will be endless.
In the experience of the previous national conference, a big celebration that should have been solidified even led to a party split. The votes of the Golkar Party were eroded. The percentage of Golkar votes in elections continued to fall: in 1999 (22.44 percent), 2004 (21.62 percent), 2009 (14.45 percent), 2014 (14.75 percent), and 2019 (12.31 percent). The percentage of the acquisition of seats was the same: 1999 elections (24 percent), 2004 (23.27 percent), 2009 (18.93 percent), 2014 (16.25 percent), and 2019 elections (14.78 percent).
In general, the image of political parties in the public eye has continued to decline. In fact, a strong democratic state needs strong political parties. Kompas R&D\'s face-to-face survey from 2015 to March 2019 shows the positive image in political parties is no more than 55 percent. The last survey was even just around one third of the respondents.
In the midst of declining public confidence in political parties coupled with increasingly strong competition among political parties in winning the people\'s votes, the appropriate step for the Golkar Party is to prioritize solidity and improve itself. Political parties are actually a means of grooming the nation\'s leaders. Nowadays what often happens is even a decaying process. Some high-ranking political parties have even been involved in corruption.
Political parties are also a means to foster democratic values, such as equality and respect for differences. What has happened though is that it has fertilized primordiality and differentiation. Political parties are also a means of fighting for the aspirations of the people, but what has happened instead is fighting for the interests of the elite.
Like a tree, the Golkar Party and other political parties need to be continuously taken care of and protected from disease. Even if there is a disease that has infected it, it also needs to be treated immediately. The hope is that its roots become strong, its trunk become sturdy and shade is provided, bringing life.