Kinanti Pinta Karana – Key Golkar Party member and media magnate Surya Paloh was rumored on Tuesday to be considering jumping the political fence and joining the Hanura Party, possibly taking his supporters with him.
While Paloh has not yet traded in his yellow Golkar blazer, the rumor that he was courting Hanura was confirmed by his close aide, Ariadi Ahmad, on Tuesday. Ariadi said that while no official decision had been made, Paloh had been holding intensive talks with Hanura.
"Hanura's ideology is not much different to Golkar's. The idea (for Paloh to join Hanura) does exist, especially with the party (Golkar) losing its idealism," Ariadi said.
"Politics is about choice. It is a game. We can keep them or we can ditch them. I cannot say anything for certain now, but there is very good communication between us and Hanura," he said.
Ariadi added that it was possible that Paloh would take his supporters with him if he decided to change parties.
Another Golkar Party figure, Poempida Hidayatullah, said Paloh's plan was logical because at the last party convention all his supporters were shut down in the leadership vote and his expectations had not been met by the new party administration.
"If it is true that he would join another party, it would be a very big loss for Golkar because he has a lot of supporters and potential," Poempida said.
According to Ariadi, Golkar no longer has the fighting spirit desired by voters. Therefore, unless radical reformation was made, the party would be abandoned by its constituents.
"I think Golkar's constituents will leave because the party's political stance is no longer in accordance with what the people want," he said.
Ariadi said that Paloh believed Hanura and Golkar had many things in common, especially after they had worked together during this year's presidential election to support former Golkar leader and former Vice President Jusuf Kalla and his running mate, Wiranto, who is the Hanura chairman.
Paloh was beaten in the party's leadership vote at its conference earlier this year, earning 240 of the 528 congress votes, while his rival Aburizal Bakrie secured 296. Bakrie, the coordinating minister for people's welfare, will lead the party for the next six years.