President to Attend Golkar Party's Conference

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - President Joko Widodo has confirmed that he will be attending the extraordinary national meeting of Golkar Party scheduled in Bali this month.

"I will come to the Golkar national meeting," he said after attending the Investment and Trade International Summit 2016 organized by the Association of District Governments here Saturday.

One of the country's biggest political parties plans to elect a new general chairman in the meeting scheduled from May 15-17.

Asked to comment on the controversy over the contribution candidates have to make to be able to run for the party's chairmanship the president said that cost is indeed needed for a national meeting such as that.

"It needs money and where would it come from? It should be borne together by all party members," he said.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has earlier prohibited the party to ask for Rp1 billion in contribution from candidates.

Golkar Party's ethics committee Deputy Chairman Lawrence Siburian said at the KPK Building Wednesday that KPK issued the ban because some of the candidates or voters are state officials.

"Their contributions could be categorized as a graft and therefore they have prohibited it," he said.

Party figures that have registered to run for the party's leadership include Ade Komaruddin, Airlangga Hartarto, Aziz Syamsuddin, and Indra Bambang Utoyo, in addition to Mahyudin, Priyo Budi Santoso, Setya Novanto and Syharul Yasin Limpo.

Ade Komarudin is currently speaker of the House of Representatives, while Syahrul Yasin Limpo is South Sulawesi governor.

Aziz Syamsuddin, Airlangga Hartarto and Setya Novanto are members of the House of Representatives, while Mahyudin is a member of the People's Consultative Assembly. (WDY)