Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – In just three days, the Golkar Party's provincial branch leaders have forced Chairman Jusuf Kalla to scale down his bid for presidency, re-opening possibilities for another partnership with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Zainal Bintang, one of the party's deputy chairs and a staunch supporter of Kalla's quest for presidency, said Monday the Golkar regional leaders' move was unilateral and illegitimate.
"I am very concerned about this decision. It violates the party rules as the revision was made at a meeting of less significance than the executive meeting we held at the Borobudur Hotel last week," Zainal, who founded the JK for President Center, told The Jakarta Post.
Kalla, the incumbent Vice President, announced his bid for the presidency and Golkar's breakaway from SBY and the Democratic Party after the top party brass and pro-vincial leaders met on Thursday last week.
But on Sunday night, the same Golkar provincial leaders revised Kalla's status as either a presidential or vice-presidential candidate.
Zainal said the Sunday meeting was attended only by the heads of Golkar provincial branches without involving the central board of executives.
"This is like character assassination on Pak Kalla. I believe a number of the party members behind this revision were those initially aiming to nominate him as a vice presidential candidate," Zainal said.
Golkar leaders supported Kalla's solo run for the presidency after intensive coalition talks with Yudhoyono's Democratic Party collapsed over the vice-presidential candidate.
The head of Jakarta's provincial branch, Ade Surapriatna, denied Zainal's allegation of a mutiny waged by Golkar provincial leaders. Ade also brushed aside speculation a third party was behind their move.
"This has nothing to do with pressure. We only added some further comments to the previous agreement on the vice-presidential candidacy. It is up to Kalla to choose between a presidential or vice-presidential campaign," he said.
West Java's provincial head, Uu Rukmana, refused to comment on speculation that the provincial branch leaders came under pressure to retract their support for Kalla's presidential bid.
Responding to the latest move by the local elite group, Golkar deputy chairman Agung Laksono said the potential for the party to maintain a coalition with the Democratic Party was still wide open. "Golkar can recommence political communication with the Democratic Party to build a coalition," Agung said.
Meanwhile, the party's advisory member Aburizal Bakrie said coalition talks with the Democratic Party seemed very plausible with Kalla downgrading his ambition to secure the vice-presidential post.
"The coalition remains very possible if Golkar chooses to seek the vice presidential job," Aburizal told reporters after a limited cabinet meeting.
Kalla has so far held intensive talks with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the Great Indonesian Movement (Gerindra) Party and the People's Conscience (Hanura) Party, but has not yet formed a coalition agreement with any party.