Airlangga Hartarto

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Business people and politicians Yusuf Hamka alias Babah Alun said he would resign from ruling the Golkar Party and contest the 2024 or Pilkada regional chief elections.

“I pulled out of everything,” Jusuf Hamka told Tempo on the phone, Sunday afternoon, August 11, 2024.

Hamka said he would have no problem if he lost his ticket for the Jakarta regional elections. The resignation, he said, was a form of solidarity with Airlangga retiring. According to him, his relationship with Airlangga Hartarto more important than position. He said that when his friend was hurt and sad, he also felt the same way.

“When my best friend is hurt, I am hurt. When my friend is sad, I would be sad (When my friend is hurt, I am also hurt. When my friend is sad, I feel it too),” he said.

On the other hand, Jusuf Hamka also does not know what made Airlangga resign as president. “I don’t know what the problem was that made him resign. “Maybe there are big forces asking him to resign,” he said.

Why does Jusuf Hamka say Airlangga is hurt and sad?

Airlangga was elected as Golkar Chairman in 2017 for the period till 2019 replacing Setya Novanto who was caught in the e-KTP corruption case. He was then re-elected for the 2019-2014 term. According to the timetable, the process of changing the general president of the Banyan party should be done in December 2024.

However, less than four months after completing his term in office, Airlangga decided to resign on August 10. In fact, last June, it was believed that the figure who is currently the Coordinating Minister for the Economy was re-elected by acclamation. He said that the support for him to return to lead the party with the symbol of the banyan tree was evenly distributed.

“Thank God, the support is distributed evenly and comprehensively,” said Airlangga at Golkar Party DPP, Slipi, West Jakarta, Sunday, 23 June 2024.

Airlangga’s position as Golkar Chairman has been weakened since the middle of last year. At that time, his position was to be uprooted as he was deemed to have failed the party’s mandate for the 2024 presidential election to entrust Airlangga as Golkar’s presidential candidate . However, it is believed that he cannot present himself to compete in the 2024 presidential election.

Airlangga Hartarto’s chair is being shaken after he dragged his name into the cooking oil scandal that is being handled by the Attorney General’s Office. Airlangga’s fate hangs in the balance after investigators called him on Monday, July 24 2023. Since then, a number of Golkar Party managers have called for him to be given extraordinary national consideration or munaslub leave for various reasons.

One of the pressures for his resignation came from the three major organizations that founded the Golkar Party, namely Kosgoro 1957, the Debate Family Cooperation Group (MKGR), and the Central Indonesian Independent Workers Organization ( SOKSI). The resignation request was submitted to the Vice Chairman of the National Leadership Council (Depinas) SOKSI Lawrence TP Siburian at a press conference at the Sultan Hotel, Jakarta, on Wednesday, 12 July 2023.

“Mr Airlangga is doing well at the ministry. “Leading as Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, but the Golkar Party is given to those who are more capable of at least increasing votes from 14 percent,” said Lawrence, who was named from Between.

According to him, Airlangga as General Chairman of Golkar DPP is not clear which direction the party will take with the banyan tree symbol. Of course, at that time there were still three months left to register for presidential and vice-presidential candidates. Meanwhile, Airlangga’s eligibility reached only 1 percent and Golkar’s vote share was 14 percent.

Tempo Magazine The edition of Sunday, July 30, 2023, reported that the Minister of Investment Bahlil Lahadalia was also a Golkar figure who was strongly trying to replace Airlangga’s position at that time. Recently, he suddenly brought attention to the continuity of the party with the logo of the banyan tree. In one week, Bahlil expressed his desire to replace Airlangga twice.

Bahlil expressed his desire openly after being summoned by President Joko Widodo or Jokowi to the State Palace on Tuesday, July 27 2023. The Minister and Head of the Investment Coordinating Board said ( BPKM) that all Golkar groups who attend the party will be asked. to be a candidate for general chairman.

“But through legitimate party means,” the 46-year-old told reporters.

Before announcing his intention to lead Golkar to Jokowi, Bahlil openly criticized Airlangga’s leadership in front of several media leaders on Saturday, July 22 2023. At that time Golkar only got 85 seats, down from 91 seats compared to the previous election.

Notice

Signs of Golkar’s waning influence, according to Bahlil, can be seen from internal simulations of the party’s seat build-up. The simulation document shows that Golkar has the potential to lose 18 seats in the 2024 elections This means that if simulation results occur in the 2024 elections, Golkar will only get 67 seats in the DPR.

Bahlil also predicts that Golkar’s electability will decrease in the 2024 elections. This figure is far from Golkar’s vote in the 2019 elections which reached 12.31 percent. “This is what worries us,” said a member of the Golkar Expert Council, Ridwan Hisjam, on Wednesday, July 26 2023.

Additionally: Bahlil gets Jokowi’s blessing to replace Airlangga?