Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – Recently elected Democratic Party chairman President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is preparing to purge the party's central executive board of those loyal to former chairman Anas Urbaningrum, a politician has said.
Yudhoyono has formed a five-member team, led by himself, to evaluate the party's current structure with an eye toward a reorganization, party patron Jero Wacik said on Tuesday.
"The other four members are executive chairman Syareifuddin Hasan, deputy chairman Max Sopacua, and the head of the Democratic Party's lawmakers in the House of Representatives, Nurhayati Ali Assegaf," Jero told reporters at the State Palace.
Jero, who is also energy and mineral resources minister, said that Yudhoyono set up the team on Sunday evening, hours after the extraordinary congress that named him chairman had concluded.
Separately, Nurhayati, who is also known to be close to First Lady Ani Yudhoyono, said that there would be two additional party deputy chairpersons, denying that the reorganization would be a purge of supporters of Anas, who quit after he was named a graft suspect. "We are working to maintain unity in the party by accommodating all elements," Nurhayati said.
Another senior party member, lawmaker Sutan Bhatoegana, said that the new deputy leaders "would be a man and a woman who are both Javanese."
Soon after he was named party chief, Yudhoyono announced that he appointed Syariefuddin, who is also cooperatives and small and medium enterprises minister, as the party's executive chairman.
Yudhoyono also appointed House speaker Marzuki Alie as deputy chairman of the Supreme Assembly, the party's highest lawmaking body, and Transportation Minister EE Mangindaan as executive chairman of the party's patron board.
The creation of the three new positions was viewed as an attempt by Yudhoyono to regain control of the Democrats after his chosen candidate lost to Anas in an open race to name the party's chairman in 2010. Syariefuddin and Mangindaan are known as Yudhoyono loyalists.
Meanwhile, Jero declined to give details on other vacancies on the central executive board. "We are working hard to finish the reorganization as soon as possible. Soon we will be able focus on the completion of our tentative list of legislative candidates, which has to be submitted to the KPU by April 22," Jero said, referring to the General Elections Commission.
According to the Political Party Law, any changes to the organizational structure of a political party must be endorsed by the Law and Human Rights Ministry. Party deputy-secretary-general and reputed Anas loyalist Saan Mustofa said that Yudhoyono had the prerogative to restructure the party.
"It's totally up to the new chairman. Who will leave and who will stay? Just leave it to the new chairman," Saan said, declining to comment on whether party secretary-general Edhie Baskoro Yudhoyono – the President's youngest son – would resign after his father was named the Democrats' top official.
Another Anas loyalist, Tri Dianto, formerly the chairman of the party's chapter in Cilacap, Central Java, said on Tuesday that he might convene a "breakaway" congress.
"I have been studying the Bali congress from a legal perspective and looking for loopholes that could justify the view that the congress was flawed and should be deemed illegal," Tri said.