A'an Suryana, Jakarta – As the beleaguered Golkar Party seeks to remove the thorn in its flesh, a party top official warned on Thursday of tough measures against staunch critic and senior party member Achmad Arnold Baramuli.
Golkar deputy chairman Agung Laksono told reporters on the sideline of the party's leadership congress at Jakarta's Century Park Hotel that the possibility of suspending or dismissing Baramuli "remained wide open". "It is up to the participants whether they will propose a suspension or dismissal of Baramuli during the plenary meeting," Agung said.
Baramuli, who has not turned up for the three-day meeting which opened on Wednesday, is a senior member who now serves as one of the party's patrons. He called for an extraordinary congress to demand embattled party chairman Akbar Tandjung, a suspect in the misuse of billions or rupiah intended for the poor, account for himself.
The bitter relationship between Baramuli and Akbar surfaced after Golkar failed to get B.J. Habibie elected president during the 1999 elections. Baramuli gained momentum to oust Akbar after the latter was implicated in a financial scam involving the State Logistics Agency (Bulog).
"According to party rules, the board of executives has the right to suspend or dismiss either party members or patrons," Agung said. Golkar had earlier decided to suspend deputy secretary general Muchyar Yara, also for his repeated calls for Akbar's resignation.
Muchyar is the lawyer and a close confidant of Ginandjar Kartasasmita, a Golkar patron and People's Consultative Assembly deputy speaker.
Agung also announced on Thursday a plan to weed out 20 problematic cadres and party members who serve in the government. Agung refused to name names, but said the suspension had long been planned in line with a recommendation given by party leaders during their previous annual meeting in 2000.
"The party needs acts of refreshing. Those members will be suspended on the grounds of negligence, indiscipline," Agung said. The suspension will be officially announced on Friday at the latest, Agung said. "The previous leadership meeting gave mandate to the party's chairman to suspend the cadres," Agung said.
Another Golkar member Priyo Budi Santoso said all the names of suspended party members were "in Akbar's pocket". Rumors have been circulating that the suspended members include Ekki Syahrudin, the Indonesian Ambassador to Canada, and Abdullah Puteh, the governor of Aceh Nangroe Darussalam. Other names were Farida Samsi Chadariah and journalist Ansel Da Lopez who will both be suspended as they had never attended party meetings.
According to Agung, the suspension was subject to change at the party congress in 2004. "The congress is the highest forum to decide the fate of the party members. Therefore, should the suspended members be able to make amends for their mistakes in the future, they will be rehabilitated as party members," he said.