What I heard was (the coalition party can complete the leadership succession) before the inauguration, but this was not uttered directly by Pak Jokowi
Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo is probably looking for a succession of leadership in coalition parties including Golkar, before the inauguration of the president and vice president in October 2019, chairman of Golkar Party's Central Executive Board, Andi Sinulingga said. "What I heard was (the coalition party can complete the leadership succession) before the inauguration, but this was not uttered directly by Pak Jokowi," Andi said here Monday.

Whether or not Golkar should follow the president's cues, is based on the party's internal needs, he said.

Golkar remained a supporter of the government and its internal affairs were a matter for the party cadres, according to him.

However, there had been pressure from some of the cadre and also administrators of the Golkar Regional Representative Councils to immediately hold a National Conference this September, Andi stated.

"There is a push for the implementation of the Golkar National Conference before the cabinet is decided," he said.

However, Golkar had so far not scheduled the National Conference due to its internal dynamics, Andi acknowledged.

Some want the Golkar National Conference to be held in September, while others want it in December 2019, he said.

"The plenary meeting will be held in mid-July to determine the timing of the Golkar National Conference, so we will wait," he said.

To follow up on the president's signal, the Golkar's Central Executive Board must immediately hold a plenary meeting to decide on the implementation of the 2019 National Conference, he said.

Golkar, as a political party supporting the government, has a significant role in guarding the Jokowi-Ma'ruf Amin government going forward, he added.

"I am an immediate supporter of the meeting to determine when a good general assembly is for the Golkar party," he said.

A number of parties supporting Jokowi-Ma'ruf simultaneously accelerated the implementation of his leadership succession before the inauguration, Andi noted.

Among them were the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and the National Awakening Party (PKB), because of which Golkar as a supporter of Jokowi-Ma'ruf also had to hold a National Conference before the inauguration.



Translator: Imam Budilaksono/Eliswan Azly
Editor: Bambang Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2019