Golkar's New Leadership Structure Registered With Justice Minister

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - Chairman of the Golkar Party Aburizal Bakrie has approached the Justice and Human Rights Ministry to report about the new structure of the party's leadership to be officially registered in the ministry.

        "There is only one chairman of the Golkar Party," Bakrie said here, Monday.

        The chairman was accompanied by several leading members of the party including Executive Chairman M.S. Hidayat, Secretary General Idrus Marham, General Treasurer Bambang Soesatyo, and Deputy Chairman Nurdin Halid.

        Justice and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly received the report personally.

        "I have received the documents directly from Mr Ical (Aburizal Bakrie," Laoly told the press.

        The minister revealed his plan to set up a special team to evaluate the documents following the emerging rivalry in the Golkar Party.

        The team comprising the ministry's personnel will analyze the party's documents received by the ministry, he added.

        Aburizal Bakrie was re-elected the general chairman of the Golkar Party, Indonesia's second-largest political party, for the 2014-2019 period by acclamation in a congress held in Bali, on Dec. 3, 2014.

        Bakrie's re-election by acclamation is the first in the history of the Golkar Party.

        The congress also declared Akbar Tanjung as the chairman of the party's advisory board.

         Several party figures such as former minister and deputy general chairman of the party Agung Laksono and Priyo Budi Santoso protested against the congress, stating that it was illegal.

          Agung Laksono earlier set up a presidium and announced to hold a congress in January 2015 to challenge Bakrie.

          The 9th National Congress of the Golkar Party in Bali announced the dismissal of 17 cadres for violating the party's articles of association.

         The dismissed figures included Agung Laksono, Priyo Budi Santoso, Yorrys Raweyai, Agun Gunandjar, and Nusron Wahid.

        Instead of holding a rival congress in January 2015, Agung Laksono held it in Jakarta, on Dec. 6 and 8, 2014, only three days after the party re-elected Aburizal Bakrie as the general chairman in the Bali congress.

         The rival congress elected Agung Laksono as its general chairman.

          Earlier, Agung and his group openly voiced their support to the government of Joko Widodo and to withdraw from the Red-and-White Coalition that comprises the opposition parties.

         Golkar, under the chairmanship of Aburizal Bakrie, is the country's second-largest party leading the majority Red-and-White Coalition opposing the government. (WDY)