irlangga Hartarto announced his resignation as the Golkar Party chairman on Aug. 10. The announcement reinvigorated speculation about the intentions of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to take over Golkar, the country’s second-largest party.
The issue of Airlangga’s removal quickly faded following support for his Golkar chairmanship from the President’s inner circle, such as Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan. Jokowi himself denied the allegation he was meddling in Golkar’s internal affairs.
Golkar’s leadership then appointed the party’s vice chairman and Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, who is a close aide of Jokowi, as acting chairman. Meanwhile, the newly appointed Energy and Mineral Resources Minister, and former investment minister, Bahlil Lahadalia, who is another of Jokowi’s trusted confidants, has reportedly been lobbying a number of senior Golkar members and regional representatives to support his bid for the party’s top job.
Bahlil is expected to seek to be appointed the next Golkar chairman in the party’s congress, slated to take place on Tuesday and Wednesday. Furthermore, several news outlets have mentioned the possibility of Jokowi sitting as Golkar’s chief patron, a position once held by former president Soeharto, the party’s founder.
The downfall of Airlangga in reality showcases pragmatic power trading by Golkar elites with the ruling regime in exchange for the facilitation of their interests. On the one hand, such behavior provides an opportunity for the party to stay within the power circle or at least maintain channels of cooperation and communication with the government.
On the other hand, it preserves the internal factionalism within the party. For Jokowi, the Airlangga saga strengthens the assumption regarding the President’s desire to prolong his influence beyond his presidential term and to maintain continuity.
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Prior to the Reform Era in 1998, Golkar had the reputation as the New Order’s political vehicle. However, the downfall of the authoritarian regime did not drag Golkar into the abyss. Instead, Golkar has shown its resilience in post-1998 national politics, notably the ability to remain as a key player in the ruling government. This ability has been one of the reasons for Golkar earning the “natural party of government” reputation.
