Akbar Tandjung, former chairman of the Golkar Party (1998-2004) and former speaker of the House of Representatives (1999-2004) is the head of Golkar’s board of advisors. Believed to be one of the rare “king makers” in the country, his comments, particularly on the internal affairs of Golkar, have frequently drawn controversy and shaken up the party. The Jakarta Post’s Imanuddin Razak and a number of journalists spoke to Akbar about the latest political issues ahead of the 2014 general elections.
Question: Who do you think is the best candidate for the presidency?
Answer: If we look at the various surveys on the electability of candidates, Jokowi (Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo) is the number one, the most popular candidate. In reality, Jokowi is a man of action, a fact that makes him popular not only in Surakarta (where he was once a mayor) and Jakarta but also across the country. This is thanks to widespread media coverage.
What are Jokowi’s chances of running for the presidency?
First, he needs to secure approval from his party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and from its chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri.
Second, it will largely depend on the PDI-P’s achievements in the April 2014 legislative elections. If the PDI-P can secure at least the minimum 25 percent of the vote in the election or 20 percent of seats in the House (the minimum requirement for a political party to nominate a presidential candidate on its own), it will be very likely that Megawati will run for the presidency.
On the contrary, if the PDI-P fails to get the minimum prerequisite, it will be very likely that the PDI-P nominates Jokowi as part of a coalition with other parties, so as to increase the chances of winning the presidential election. We all know that the personality of a candidate plays a very important part in securing a election victory. Jokowi’s popularity is a benefit for the PDI-P.
Do you think Jokowi has the capacity to lead this nation?
As a popular candidate, Jokowi may win the ticket for the presidency, but to successfully lead this nation, particularly to settle the complicated problems of this country, one needs not only popularity but also political experience on a greater scale (national level). In my view, Jokowi needs to prove himself in his current position as Jakarta governor and not run for the presidency next year. Success in leading Jakarta will be of great benefit for him to run in 2019.
The momentum is with him now, so could 2019 be too late for him?
I speak in my capacity as an observer. There is no guarantee he can win if he runs next year. But if he can prove he can settle the problems in Jakarta, it will be a major boost for him in the 2019 election.
Is there any possibility that Jokowi could run on the ticket of another political party and not the PDI-P?
It’s impossible as it will ruin his image, not only among PDI-P members and loyalists, but also the people in general.
Let’s talk about Golkar. What do you think of Aburizal Bakrie’s nomination as the party’s candidate for the presidency in next year’s election?
Again, based on various surveys, Aburizal is not among the top three popular candidates although he has advertised himself in the media, particularly on TV. I think the Lapindo mudflow is one of the obstacles to him running and winning the presidential election. If he can settle the issue once and for all, he might have the chance to increase his popularity and electability.
So, what to do with his presidential candidacy?
Aburizal was nominated through a lawful mechanism within the party, the National Leadership Meeting (Rapimnas) in 2012. Such a mechanism was less democratic as it only involved the leading executives of the party’s 33 provincial branches, but not party members in regent or mayoral branches, let alone the general public like a convention can do for instance.
Whether we like it or not, we (party members) must support his nomination. There needs to be an evaluation of Aburizal. Not to revoke his nomination for sure, but to evaluate what are the weaknesses and obstacles to his nomination and chances of winning the presidential election.
What if his electability remains low?
That’s why Golkar needs to put all its efforts into increasing his popularity and electability. We must still set the target for his presidential candidacy. There is no absolutism in politics, including in nominating a person for the presidency.
His (Aburizal’s) supporters within the party cannot say that his nomination is final because as time goes by, there might be an evaluation. The deadline should be upon the announcement of the results of the April 2014 legislative
elections.
If Golkar fails to meet the election threshold of 25 percent or legislative threshold of 20 percent, there needs to be another Rapimnas, perhaps an extraordinary one, but not a convention as it will be too late, to evaluate and decide on his nomination. Otherwise, we (Golkar) might not have a chance at all.
Source/fuente:http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/10/03/the-jokowi-effect-and-golk...
