Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Parliamentary Speaker Akbar Tandjung is staring at the end of an illustrious 30-year political career with more incriminating evidence being gathered against him in a graft trial and as members of his Golkar party plot to overthrow him.

Career prospects are not looking up for Akbar. The chairman of Indonesia's second largest political party has increasingly become a liability to his party members, who are concerned that his involvement in the 40-billion-rupiah (S$7.2-million) Buloggate scandal will further harm its image.

Golkar sources conceded that many executives in the central board have been lobbying party officials to agree to elect new leaders if the courts convict Akbar of graft. To hold an election of new leaders, at least two-thirds of Golkar's regional leaders must first approve it.

Party officials said they would remove Akbar as soon as possible. "We have been going to the provinces, giving local party leaders pessimistic views of Mr Akbar's legal problems to convince them it is unlikely he will escape justice," a high-ranking party official said.

Mr Akbar was allegedly responsible for the misuse of 40 billion rupiah from the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) – meant for food supplies for the poor in 1999.

A key witness in the trial of Bulog chief Rahardi Ramelan, who is being tried separately, last week admitted that there were attempts to protect the Golkar chairman at the beginning of the Attorney-General's investigations into the case. Sources said that Golkar deputies had managed to convince several major provinces to back their plan.

But at the same time, observers believe President Megawati Sukarnoputri and her Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P) have an interest in preventing the party from going down with Akbar.

Political analyst Kusnanto Anggoro said: "With Islamic factions in Parliament now maintaining a distance from her nationalist PDI-P, Megawati's most suitable ally is Golkar, the only other main secular party in Parliament."