Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Camelia Pasandaran – Following a series of bruising defeats in local elections, Golkar leaders have exhorted local party officials to work harder to win the trust and sympathy of voters on the ground.

"Show that the Golkar Party, at the national and local levels, has the ability to be an effective political machine in developing and directing the government to reach goals that benefit the people," Golkar chairman Aburizal Bakrie said on Saturday.

But if the early results in regional elections are any indication, the former ruling party under Suharto has a long way to go in transforming rhetoric into votes.

Local elections, which began in February and will continue well into the second half of the year, have not been kind so far to either Golkar or the ruling Democratic Party.

The opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has dominated the early goings, winning 63 percent of the regional elections to date, ahead of Golkar and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democrats.

Speaking on Saturday during a Golkar meeting, party official Priyo Budi Santoso said lawmakers needed to bring innovative ideas to the table to defend the interests of their constituencies and keep voters happy.

"All Golkar members must become the engine for initiating concepts and ideas that benefit the public," Priyo said.

Christina Aryani, who heads Golkar's department for the coordination of legislative and political institutions, said the party still held out hope for the 2014 national elections, despite the early disappointments.

"What we really need to learn is how to get better and improve in the area of legislation," she said.

Aburizal called for improved solidarity among Golkar members in local party branches, especially when dealing with regional elections. He said that in some regions, fragmented support for party members was directly responsible for election losses.

"I hope all of our members can work together and use their influence to help the candidates we support," he said.

Aburizal also said the party's lawmakers could do more for Golkar's standing by listening to the needs of their constituents, exhibiting a clearer understanding of the issues and working harder to resolve the problems of voters.

Golkar's deputy treasurer, Bambang Susatyo, said he felt the party may have got it wrong from the outset by choosing candidates that were out of touch with their districts.

He said the party was trying to redress those mistakes by hiring survey institutions such as the Indonesian Survey Institute and the Indonesian Survey Circle to help it select the best candidates for district seats.

"It's not about like or dislike. It must be based on a scientific approach, the electability and capability of the candidate," Bambang said.

Burhanuddin Muhtadi, a political researcher with the Indonesian Survey Institute, said that PDI-P picked candidates with the best chance of winning at the ballot box.

"Golkar is often hampered by its own internal disputes and political infighting," Burhanuddin told the Jakarta Globe.

"If Golkar suffers losses in the regional elections, it could reflect a failure to gain more support for the 2014 national elections," he said. "Regional elections are investments for increased votes at the national polls."

But if Golkar has problems, they pale in comparison to those of the Democratic Party.

"In the past, although Golkar and PDI-P won regional elections, the Democratic Party could still win at the national level because it had Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is an electoral magnet," Burhanuddin said.

"But in 2014, that will change because they can no longer sell the figure of SBY. So if they fail in the regional elections, it will mean that the party may no longer be able to maintain its electoral achievements at the national level."

Indonesia's local elections are being contested in 453 districts throughout the country's 33 provinces.