Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra may support his eldest sister Siti Hadiyanti "Tutut" Rukmana as she challenges billionaire Aburizal Bakrie for the Golkar Party's top post, party officials and political analysts say.

Following Tutut's announcement last week that she would be joining the race for the Golkar leadership, a number of party officials said Monday that she still had many loyal supporters within the party thanks to her father – the late president Soeharto – who would back her during the party's national caucus next month.

"We must acknowledge that Soeharto's family still have loyal supporters within the party. Many of the party's branch executives at the regency and provincial levels still remember Soeharto as a successful leader.

"Even in the party's central board, I know there are many officials still loyal to the family," Golkar executive Indra Piliang said in Jakarta on Monday.

A political analyst from Diponegoro University in Semarang, Teguh Yuwono, said Tutut stood a much better chance in the race than her brother Tommy, who has also announced his intention to run for the Golkar leadership. Tutut has a cleaner track record, Teguh said, and Soeharto prepared her, not Tommy, for politics.

"She could emerge as a serious contender because she has the wealth to match Aburizal, who is seen as the strongest candidate so far," he said.

Observers have pointed out that Tommy may face difficulties in meeting the party's requirements for the top seat. All candidates for the leadership position must have held a leadership post in a central or regional board, which Tommy has not.

The North Jakarta District Court sentenced Tommy to 15 years jail in 2002 for the premeditated murder of a Supreme Court judge and the illegal possession of arms, but his sentence was cut to 10 years in 2002.

Tutut, who has no criminal record, served as a deputy chairperson on the party's central board during the New Order era.

Party officials have questioned whether Tutut has enough time to prepare for the race, with just one month remaining until the party's national caucus. Speculation is mounting that she will instead financially and politically support young legislator Yuddy Chrisnandi in his bid for the leadership against Aburizal.

In this scenario, even if she was not chairwoman of the party, she would hold a top party post and an influential position to push for her presidential nomination in 2014.

Mohammad Qodari, executive director of the Indo Barometer political pollster, said Tutup would agree to back Yuddy if he could guarantee her Golkar's nomination for presidency in 2014 and protection of her family's business.

"Tutut will also ask the party to clear Soeharto's name from any accusations of corruption," he said.