Indonesia’s Party of Functional Groups (Golkar) yesterday appointed a top loyalist of Indonesian President Joko Widodo as its new leader, a move members say could enable the outgoing president to retain political influence long after he leaves office in October.
Bahlil Lahadalia, the newly appointed minister of energy and mineral resources and the president’s right-hand man, was chosen as general chairman of the nation’s second-largest party at its annual congress. Golkar was the party of late Indonesian president Suharto, who ruled Indonesia for three decades until 1998.
The hugely popular Widodo, better known as Jokowi, has served the maximum two terms allowed, and his immense political clout helped ensure former rival Prabowo Subianto won February’s presidential election by a huge margin.
Photo: Antara Foto / Asprilla Dwi Adha via Reuters
Four Golkar sources, several speaking on the sidelines of the congress on the condition of anonymity, said that Bahlil’s appointment could help Widodo to secure his legacy after Prabowo takes power.
Golkar members have said Widodo, who hails from the island of Java, has been quietly angling to shore up his power base through the party before stepping down.
Widodo’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
During his speech to the congress, Bahlil said that the party must be unified, and in an apparent reference to Widodo, he gave a veiled warning to its members to stay in line.
“If we play around with the king of Java, it will be dangerous for us,” he said.
Bahlil’s appointment comes during a transition period in which Prabowo has been fast consolidating power ahead of his presidency, culminating in him securing a parliamentary majority late last week, with support from parties that had backed his election rival.
As the largest party in the parliamentary coalition, Golkar could be central to the success or failure of Prabowo’s policy agenda, giving it significant bargaining power. Prabowo’s Great Indonesia Movement Party is the second-largest in the alliance.
“When Jokowi steps down as president he won’t have a political tool anymore,” one senior Golkar member said. “How will he maintain the balance with the new administration? He must take over, but he can’t take over Golkar alone.”
“Bahlil has proven his loyalty for all these years, so Jokowi trusts Bahlil,” the Golkar member said.
BACK IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD: The planned transit by the ‘Baden-Wuerttemberg’ and the ‘Frankfurt am Main’ would be the German Navy’s first passage since 2002 Two German warships are set to pass through the Taiwan Strait in the middle of this month, becoming the first German naval vessels to do so in 22 years, Der Spiegel reported on Saturday. Reuters last month reported that the warships, the frigate Baden-Wuerttemberg and the replenishment ship Frankfurt am Main, were awaiting orders from Berlin to sail the Strait, prompting a rebuke to Germany from Beijing. Der Spiegel cited unspecified sources as saying Beijing would not be formally notified of the German ships’ passage to emphasize that Berlin views the trip as normal. The German Federal Ministry of Defense declined to comment. While
‘REGRETTABLE’: TPP lawmaker Vivian Huang said that ‘we will continue to support Chairman Ko and defend his innocence’ as he was transferred to a detention facility The Taipei District Court yesterday ruled that Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) be detained and held incommunicado over alleged corruption dating to his time as mayor of Taipei. The ruling reversed a decision by the court on Monday morning that Ko be released without bail. After prosecutors on Wednesday appealed the Monday decision, the High Court said that Ko had potentially been “actively involved” in the alleged corruption and ordered the district court to hold a second detention hearing. Ko did not speak to reporters upon his arrival at the district court at about 9:10am yesterday to attend a procedural
‘UPHOLDING PEACE’: Taiwan’s foreign minister thanked the US Congress for using a ‘creative and effective way’ to deter Chinese military aggression toward the nation The US House of Representatives on Monday passed the Taiwan Conflict Deterrence Act, aimed at deterring Chinese aggression toward Taiwan by threatening to publish information about Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials’ “illicit” financial assets if Beijing were to attack. The act would also “restrict financial services for certain immediate family of such officials,” the text of the legislation says. The bill was introduced in January last year by US representatives French Hill and Brad Sherman. After remarks from several members, it passed unanimously. “If China chooses to attack the free people of Taiwan, [the bill] requires the Treasury secretary to publish the illicit
The Executive Yuan yesterday warned against traveling to or doing business in China after reports that Beijing is recruiting Taiwanese to help conceal the use of forced Uighur labor. The government is aware that Taiwan-based influencers and businesses are being asked to make pro-Beijing content and offered incentives to invest in the region, Executive Yuan acting spokeswoman Julia Hsieh (謝子涵) told a news conference. Taiwanese are urged to be aware of the potential personal and reputational harm by visiting or operating businesses in China, Hsieh said, adding that agencies are fully apprised of the situation. A national security official said that former Mainland
RSS