The general chairman of the party, Aburizal "Ical" Bakrie, rushed to leave the meeting that was held to prepare the congress following the raid by the partys youth wing members, led by former chief Yorries Raweyai.
Before leaving the meeting, Ical, along with loyalists Idrus Marham, Syarief Cicip Sutarjo, Nurdin Halid, Titiek Soeharto, Tantowi Yahya, and Theo L Sambuaga, hid in one of the rooms at the party headquarters.
"We wish to save the party," Raweyai remarked.
He explained that he hoped that the partys executive board would settle problems democratically, in accordance with the partys constitution.
There were indications that a group of people in the central executive board sought to lead the party for their own interest, he added.
"They have forced a congress through a national leadership meeting, as well as through a central executive board meeting. A congress should not be between individuals or a group but among all party cadres," he explained.
He further noted that pressure from young cadres of the Golkar Party was the reason behind his presence at the meeting, along with that of other AMPG members.
Raweyai stated that AMPG members were disappointed by the decision to hold the congress on November 30 in Bali, instead of in January 2015. They suspect that it was aimed at seeking acclamation for Bakries reelection.
"I told them if they continued with their decision to hold the congress on November 30, we will occupy the headquarters and ask the government through the police to cancel it," he remarked.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2014
