Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Delegates at the People's Conscience Party's first national conference in Surabaya over the weekend wasted no time in re-electing former general Wiranto as party chairman, even skipping the voting.

In addition, two other former generals joined the party's advisory council, and Yuddy Chrisnandi defected from the Golkar Party to Hanura, as Wiranto's party is known.

Yuddy, however, denied that the switch of allegiance was retaliation against his former party. He led former Vice President Jusuf Kalla's unsuccessful presidential campaign team last year and was subsequently demoted from Golkar's leadership board by its new chairman, Aburizal Bakrie.

Yuddy had said he would run for party chairman against Aburizal and media magnate Surya Paloh but ultimately did not have the money to compete.

Surya, too, has defected to form the National Democrats social organization, which analysts believe will become a political party and a vehicle for a possible run for the presidency by Surya in 2014.

Yuddy explained that two days after losing to Bakrie, Wiranto had contacted him and asked that he join Hanura as a member of its leadership board.

"I did not accept the offer at that time. But four days before Hanura's congress, Pak Wiranto contacted me again and I finally accepted his request," Yuddy said, adding that other Golkar "friends" who he did not name would also defect.

Also appointed to the leadership board were Lt. Gen. (ret) Suaidy Marasabessy and former Army Chief Gen. (ret) Subagyo Hadi Siswojo, who was in charge of the Army during the violence that erupted in East Timor in 1999.

Wiranto is a controversial former leader of the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI).

Former National Awakening Party (PKB) chairman AS Hikam and former National Mandate Party (PAN) member Samuel Kotto were also appointed to the leadership board.

Burhanuddin Muhtadi, a political analyst from the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI), said the appointments included no new faces. "Wiranto and other names in the party's leadership board are men from the past. They should bring in new figures," Burhanuddin said. "They need fresh faces."

He said that even though Suaidi, the TNI's former chief of staff, and Subagyo HS had just been named to the party's leadership board, they had actually helped establish the party in 2006.

Sebastian Salang, an analyst from the Concerned Citizens for the Indonesian Parliament (Formappi), said the switching of parties was common in today's politics and would have little impact on the party. "I don't think the performance of a party depends on just one person like Yuddy," he said.