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.
DEFENSE: The first set of three NASAMS that were previously purchased is expected to be delivered by the end of this year and deployed near the capital, sources said Taiwan plans to procure 28 more sets of M-142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as well as nine additional sets of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), military sources said yesterday. Taiwan had previously purchased 29 HIMARS launchers from the US and received the first 11 last year. Once the planned purchases are completed and delivered, Taiwan would have 57 sets of HIMARS. The army has also increased the number of MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) purchased from 64 to 84, the sources added. Each HIMARS launch pod can carry six Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, capable of
GET TO SAFETY: Authorities were scrambling to evacuate nearly 700 people in Hualien County to prepare for overflow from a natural dam formed by a previous typhoon Typhoon Podul yesterday intensified and accelerated as it neared Taiwan, with the impact expected to be felt overnight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, while the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration announced that schools and government offices in most areas of southern and eastern Taiwan would be closed today. The affected regions are Tainan, Kaohsiung and Chiayi City, and Yunlin, Chiayi, Pingtung, Hualien and Taitung counties, as well as the outlying Penghu County. As of 10pm last night, the storm was about 370km east-southeast of Taitung County, moving west-northwest at 27kph, CWA data showed. With a radius of 120km, Podul is carrying maximum sustained
Tropical Storm Podul strengthened into a typhoon at 8pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with a sea warning to be issued late last night or early this morning. As of 8pm, the typhoon was 1,020km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving west at 23kph. The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA said. Based on the tropical storm’s trajectory, a land warning could be issued any time from midday today, it added. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said Podul is a fast-moving storm that is forecast to bring its heaviest rainfall and strongest
TRAJECTORY: The severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday, and would influence the nation to varying degrees, a forecaster said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it would likely issue a sea warning for Tropical Storm Podul tomorrow morning and a land warning that evening at the earliest. CWA forecaster Lin Ting-yi (林定宜) said the severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving west at 21kph and packing sustained winds of 108kph and gusts of up to 136.8kph, the CWA said. Lin said that the tropical storm was about 1,710km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, with two possible trajectories over the next one
RSS