Yuli Tri Suwarni and Ridwan Max Sijabat, Bandung – The congress of the Democratic Party proposed Saturday the establishment of a body within the party that will allow its chief patron, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, to ensure a firm hold of the party.

Both camps of the candidates contesting the party top post confirmed that the congress steering committee had proposed the deployment of a supreme assembly during a closed-door session held to review the party stature.

Spokesman for candidate Anas Urbaningrum's campaign team Saan Mustopa and secretary of the Andi Alfian Mallarangeng's campaign team Ramadhan Pohan have confirmed the plausibility of the proposal.

Both camps said that Yudhoyono in his capacity as President, founder and chairman of the party's patron board, would also chair an assembly tasked mainly to make strategic decisions regarding the party's internal and external affairs.

Saan said the supreme assembly comprising of members of the patron and the executive board would be presided over by Yudhoyono, and its main task was to make strategic policies for the party and important decisions on who should be nominated by the party to contest the regional elections.

"I think all delegates to the congress will certainly accept the proposal because all are of the same opinion that the party is inseparable from SBY," said Saan, calling Yudhoyono by his popular name.

Ramadhan said the supreme assembly would not necessarily contradict a plan for devolving more authority to provincial chapters and regional branches.

"This does not mean that the new body will maintain the domination of the executive board within the party. It will strengthen SBY's position in the party because he cannot be separated from the party and his role is still needed to strengthen the development of human resources, infrastructure and leadership in the party."

With the assembly, Yudhoyono will have an indispensable role in deciding which candidates would contest the presidential and legislative elections, although he would no longer assume the presidency.

However a number of members of regional branches were against the proposal as it was considered detrimental to the promotion of democracy within the party. Mustofawiyah Sitompul, deputy chairman of the Democratic Party's provincial chapter in North Sumatra, said the supreme assembly would maintain the party's centralistic policy and it could make the decision-making mechanism more cumbersome.

Yulianus Nawifa, chairman of the party's regional branch in Paniai, Papua, concurred and suggested that the new instrument should function akin to that of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) with the main function being to implement general guidelines in developing the party.

In an event of a regional election, he said, the central board should rely on regional branches to recruit candidates. "Papua has held 21 local elections and none of our candidates have won thanks to the strong intervention from the central board," he said.

Nur Muhyidin, deputy chairman of the party's provincial chapter in East Java, said he has no objection to an assembly as it could improve the party's performance in 2014.

Rev. Viktor representing Morowali in South Sulawesi said he was sure the domination of the central board would not become an iron rule, and its presence was still needed over the next five years.