Febriamy Hutapea – As shocked senior members of the Golkar Party weighed Tommy Suharto's announcement that he was running for party chairman, there was general agreement on Wednesday that Tommy faced a number of "obstacles" in his bid, chief among them his conviction for ordering the murder of a Supreme Court justice.

Gorontalo Governor Fadel Muhammad, a senior member of Golkar, acknowledged that he had not expected Tommy, whose full name is Hutomo Mandala Putra, to run for chairman because he was not actively involved in the party, which was the political vehicle of Tommy's father during his three-decade rule.

Fadel said Tommy might have a right to run as a citizen with political rights, but that his murder conviction would certainly hamper his candidacy.

However, he also noted that Tommy could be prevented from running for chairman by a number of party regulations, including one that stipulated candidates must have held a leadership role in the party within the past 10 years.

Fadel said Tommy's case was different than that of his older sister, Siti "Tutut" Hardiyanti Rukmana, who had been active in the Golkar leadership.

"He's a risk-taker. I could understand if Tutut runs, but him? It's very surprising for me. It's extraordinary," he said. Meanwhile, senior party member Firman Subagyo said party regulations also stipulated that chairmen needed to meet standards regarding performance, dedication, loyalty and personal background.

He said Golkar had become strict in selecting its leadership, noting that the party had prevented a number of aspiring legislative candidates who were facing legal difficulties from running in the recent elections.

"Everything can change in politics, but the internal rules can't be changed to accommodate the interests of a certain candidate," Firman said.

Golkar central board leader Andi Mattalatta noted that party regulations also required participants in the upcoming party congress, where the chairman will be elected, to have served at least five years in a leadership role. However, he said Tommy may be allowed to participate, depending on a ruling by the congress's oversight committee, which was expected to be passed on Wednesday night.

Other senior party members running for chairman include Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie, advisory board chairman and media mogul Surya Paloh, and two up-and-coming party members, Yuddy Chrisnandi and Ferry Mursyidan Baldan.

Fadel, who supports Bakrie, said he doubted Tommy was a threat to Bakrie's candidacy.

Burhanudin Muhtadi, a political analyst from the Indonesian Survey Institute, said Tommy's return to politics was mainly to "disturb" Bakrie because of his close association with former party chairman Akbar Tanjung and Ginanjar Kartasasmita, both Suharto-era cabinet ministers.

"Suharto's family perceives them as the two... who helped kick Suharto from power," he said.

Tommy was convicted in 2002 of ordering the murder of Supreme Court Justice Syafiuddin Kartasasmita after the justice found him guilty on corruption charges. The corruption charges were later overturned.