Devi Asmarani, Bengkulu – Standing before some 1,500 party supporters last week, Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung was all praise for the man who only two months ago trashed him at a party convention.

He declared that Golkar presidential candidate Wiranto, whom he accompanied to this Sumatra province, was the best pick among Indonesia's five presidential candidates. "He comes from the military but he has the qualities of a democrat to lead the country," he told the crowd.

He might well say that, given that he is chairman of the party that is backing Mr Wiranto, officially at least. At such public events, Mr Akbar is a model supporter of the retired general, his political nemesis.

He accompanied the presidential candidate to many events, urging party supporters to vote for Mr Wiranto and his running mate Solahuddin Wahid, come July 5. His statements even helped assuage fears that Mr Wiranto's unexpected victory in Golkar's April convention would split the party.

Said senior Golkar MP Happy Bone Zulkarnaen: "Mr Akbar shows he has a big heart and a strong commitment by supporting Mr Wiranto even after his defeat. This helps him build sympathy from within the party."

But behind the scenes, questions are being asked about whether all of the party's supporters will back Mr Wiranto. Poor turnout at Mr Wiranto's rallies, Golkar's lack of financial contribution and lackadaisical support from some of the party elite have set tongues wagging. Some members of the Wiranto camp have begun to charge that the party has been giving it "half-hearted support".

With Mr Wiranto still trailing far behind front-runner Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in popularity, Golkar's political machinery will be crucial in boosting his chances of becoming one of the top two candidates to slug it out in a run-off election in September.

But now, even Golkar members admit that the party's formidable political machinery is not nearly as effective as it could be. Money, they claim, is the main problem. During the April campaign, some 20,000 candidates for the legislature – from local to national level – bankrolled party campaigns across the country. Said Mr Bomer Pasaribu, a senior Golkar member who is also in the Wiranto campaign team: "Our coffers were drained of money after the April election. These people have barely recovered."

The Straits Times understands this was made clear by Mr Akbar when he and Mr Wiranto held a "reconciliation meeting" days after the Golkar convention. In plain terms, Mr Akbar told Mr Wiranto that Golkar could not be expected to foot the bill for Mr Wiranto's campaign, say party insiders.

Mr Akbar also stressed that Mr Wiranto should not interfere in his leadership in the party, and that Golkar members would be given key positions on his campaign team. Mr Akbar even asked that he be given a say in the choice of Cabinet members should Mr Wiranto win the presidency – all in return for his official endorsement of the candidacy.

But despite the concessions made at that meeting, persuading Mr Akbar's loyalists to back Mr Wiranto proved a little harder than expected. Some party leaders have opted to stay away from his presidential campaign, in some cases out of disappointment at not being given key roles in the campaign team.

There are also fears of the party's future with Mr Wiranto in the picture, particularly with the coming leadership succession later this year.

And there are lingering fears of a fissure within the party along factional lines. Should Mr Wiranto rise to power, some expect a major purge of party cadres with close links to Mr Akbar. Said a senior party official: "Mr Wiranto may have given his commitment to stay out of Golkar, but in politics you cannot rely on promises. The fact is that there are people in Golkar who feel they have been marginalised or hurt by Mr Akbar's leadership. These same people, who played a role in Mr Wiranto's victory in April, are looking for opportunities to get Mr Akbar and his people out of the picture."