Golkar Party chairman Airlangga Hartarto delivering a speech on March 15, 2024, during a nationwide iftar gathering of party officials in Nusa Dua, Bali. - Antara
JAKARTA: Golkar Party chairman Airlangga Hartarto has resigned at the peak of a political tussle ahead of the power transition from the administration of President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo to the incoming government of Prabowo Subianto and the regional elections later this year.
In a video statement on Sunday (Aug 11), Airlangga said he had effectively stepped down from his position the night before, after much consideration.
He said the decision was taken to “maintain Golkar’s integrity in ensuring the stability of the government transition that will soon occur”, but he did not elaborate further.
Golkar supports Jokowi’s outgoing administration and is part of the Gerindra Party-led Onward Indonesia Coalition (KIM) behind the victory of incoming president Prabowo and vice president Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Jokowi’s eldest son.
Airlangga’s resignation ended his seven-year leadership of Golkar.
Airlangga joined the party in 1998 and was elected as its chair in 2017, replacing Setya Novanto who is currently serving time in prison for corruption. Airlangga was supposed to end his tenure later this year.
The news of Airlangga’s resignation came as a surprise amid the ongoing tussle over power sharing in the incoming Prabowo administration that began not long after the February election, with KIM parties claiming to have worked hard during the campaign season and to have contributed the most to Prabowo’s resounding victory.
Reports emerged in May that Airlangga and National Mandate Party (PAN) chair Zulkifli Hasan were vying for the same seat in Prabowo’s cabinet, that of the energy and mineral resources minister.
Airlangga currently serves in the Jokowi administration as the coordinating economic minister while Zulkifli serves as the trade minister.
Airlangga has denied the rivalry. But disagreement between Golkar and other KIM members continues over which candidates the coalition will nominate for the November gubernatorial elections in the strategic provinces of Jakarta, West Java and Banten.
Earlier this month, Golkar acceded to other members’ wishes to nominate Golkar’s own former popular West Java governor Ridwan Kamil for the governorship of Jakarta on their joint ticket, even though it meant not taking advantage of Ridwan’s higher polling figures for reelection in West Java.
Other KIM members have endorsed Gerindra politician Dedi Mulyadi for governor of West Java. But in Banten, Golkar insists on nominating its own politician Airin Rachmi Diany for governor and pairing her with Ade Sumardi of KIM’s rival the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), going against the potential bid of Gerindra politician Andra Soni.
This prompted Gerindra and other KIM members to form an alternative bloc behind Gerindra's Andra and Achmad Dimyati Natakusumah of the rival Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).
Despite successfully joining hands in the East Java and North Sumatra gubernatorial races, KIM’s intention to nominate a joint ticket is also faltering in the South Tangerang mayoral race.
Gerindra has endorsed its own politician and former deputy Jakarta governor Ahmad Riza Patria in the South Tangerang election, while Golkar has joined forces with the PDI-P to support the reelection bid of incumbent mayor Benyamin Davnie.
Airlangga’s sudden resignation triggered questions among analysts about his intentions and whether there was a bigger power forcing him to resign, particularly after reports emerged earlier this year that Jokowi was seeking to install a key ally at Golkar’s helm and secure a position for himself as head of the party’s advisory board.
Yoes Kenawas, a political observer and research fellow at Atma Jaya Catholic University, said that there must be more to it than Airlangga’s intention to “ensure stability”.
“It is worth asking why a chairman who succeeded in making Golkar win the second-largest number of House of Representatives seats in the February legislative election suddenly resigned,” Yoes said.
A Golkar chairman, he added, should have had “a very high bargaining position” given that Golkar is also the largest party in the KIM coalition, bigger than Gerindra, Prabowo’s own party and the de facto leader of the coalition.
Golkar deputy chairman Ahmad Doli Kurnia on Sunday denied speculations that any external pressure forced Airlangga to resign, saying that the chairman did so voluntarily. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
