Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – Golkar Party plenary meeting was violently disrupted on Tuesday, and culminated in rivals of chairman Aburizal Bakrie joining forces to plan their own party chairmanship election and reject the one planned by Aburizal's camp for Nov. 30.
Party deputy chairman Agung Laksono, himself intending to run for chairman, announced the formation of a presidium for the salvation of Golkar at the party's headquarters in West Jakarta.
The breakaway faction is intended to rival Golkar's central executive board, which Agung's camp said had "lost legitimacy". "The main task of this presidium is to hold the ninth National Congress in January 2015 at the latest, in Jakarta," Agung said.
Those present in the room agreed to name Agung the group's chairman. The former coordinating people's welfare minister then appointed senior party member Muladi head of the national congress organizing committee and party executive Ibnu Munzir head of the steering committee.
Aburizal has announced his plan to run for a second term despite the party's losses in this year's elections. He has also been accused of intimidating local party executives to pledge support for his bid, as well as maneuvering for the Bali congress.
Aburizal has appointed his confidant, Nurdin Halid, as the steering committee chairman of the congress, slated to take place in Nusa Dua, Bali, on Nov. 30, a schedule contested by Agung's faction, which claims that the 2009 congress mandated a congress to be held in 2015.
Other party members who have agreed to join Agung's faction include former House of Representatives deputy speaker Priyo Budi Santoso, party executive Hajriyanto Thohari, Golkar Youth Generation (AMPG) chairman Yorrys Raweai, senior party member Zainal Bintang, as well as lawmakers Airlangga Hartarto, Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, Zainudin Amali and Agun Gunandjar.
Along with Agung, Priyo, Hajriyanto and Airlangga, Agus and Zainuddin have also declared their intentions to run for party chairman. These six, however, have agreed to join forces, with only one of them running as a single contender against Aburizal.
The only candidate who has not joined the presidium is former industry minister MS Hidayat.
A few hours earlier, several Golkar cadres were injured in a clash between members outside the room where the plenary session was taking place.
The violent conflict was ignited when members of Golkar's central executive board, led by deputy chairman Theo L. Sambuaga, a supporter of Aburizal, were about to commence the meeting to discuss the party's upcoming chairmanship election, which has been the cause of increasing infighting in recent weeks.
Preparations for the election were discussed during a plenary meeting on Monday, but the session was adjourned by chairman Aburizal after dozens of AMPG members poured into the meeting room in protest against Aburizal's authoritarian approach to organizing the vote.
To safeguard against similar disruptions, dozens of men guarded the meeting room on Tuesday afternoon. These men wore AMPG uniforms but Yorrys said they were "fake" and merely created by Aburizal as an attempt to legitimize his actions.
Enraged by the "fake" group, Yorrys came to the headquarters with more than 50 AMPG members, forcefully dispersing Aburizal's alleged decoys, some of whom were assaulted with sticks and helmets taken from parked motorcycles.
Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno denounced the violent clashes.
"The conflict [at Golkar headquarters] resulted in violence. I suggest that the National Police do not give the party permission to hold the congress in Bali," he said.
"Bali is our main tourist destination. If conflict occurs there, there could be travel warnings and Indonesia would be disadvantaged," he added.
Aburizal, for his part, was not spotted at party headquarters on Tuesday.
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/11/26/aburizal-s-rivals-boycott-bali-congress.html