Golkar Party Seeking Three Seats In Sby’s Next Cabinet
Burhanuddin Napitupulu, a member of the party’s executive board, said his party would propose three names with high-calibre expertise “to help President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the next five years”.
He identified the three as Agung Laksono, legislator Theo Sambuaga and Andi Mattalatta, currently
justice and human rights affairs minister.
Agung, now speaker of the House of Representatives, was departing parliament as he had lost in the recent legislative elections.
Party member Heri Azhar said the decision on whether the Golkar party would coalesce with Yudhoyono’s cabinet or not would be made in upcoming national congress in Riau next month.
“Golkar party has not received any official invitation from Yudhoyono to join his cabinet. The party will make the decision during the congress,” he told the Post.
Legislator Priyo Budi Santoso concurred but said his party was not begging for positions following SBY’s re-election victory last month.
Executive member of the Democratic Party Andi Malarangeng has given signal that it would also invite other parties, including Golkar and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) to join the next government despite the latter’s losses in the recent general election.
Executive director of Indo Barometer research Mohammad Qodari predicted that Golkar would join the cabinet if Aburizal Bakrie was elected as the Golkar chairman.
He said that Aburizal, who is Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare, would likely nominate several other names such Idrus Marham, Muladi and Firman Subagyo.
A survey by the Policy and Development Strategy Research Center (Puskaptis) from August 19 to August 24 showed Aburizal would win the Golkar’s congress to replace Vice President Jusuf Kalla in the party’s top post.
Aburizal promised to donate Rp 1 trillion (US$98 million) as trust fund and has claimed he had secured written support from more than 400 regional branches to win the election.
Aburizal’s strongest rival is media magnate Surya Paloh who is approaching provincial and regional party leaders to support his chairmanship bid. Besides, former president Soeharto’s eldest daughter Siti Hardiyanti “Tutut” Rukmana and youngest son Hutomo “Tommy” Mandala Putra and several young cadres such as Yuddy Chrisnandi and Ferry Mursyidan Baldan have announced their bid to contend the chairmanship election.
On Friday, Surya who claimed to have received supports from 400 regional branches, met with provincial chapter’s leaders in Surabaya.
Campaigning team of Yuddy, Indra Piliang said Tutut might support Yuddy for the Golkar top seat.
In related developments, party cadres have expressed their difficulties in ordering hotel room in Pekanbaru because of the limited number of star-rate hotels in the city.
Chairman of the provincial chapter of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Owners’ Association (PHRI) Indra B. Syukur star-rated hotels could accommodate up to 2,000 guests “and the congress has some 2,300 participants, of which a small part could stay in guest houses and non-star hotels that generally offer good service”.
Source : The Jakarta post.
