New Seats for New Supporters

MOHAMAD Suleman Hidayat paid Aburizal Bakrie a visit at his home in Central Jakarta. While sipping tea, Hidayat listened to the Golkar Party chairman's comments regarding the latest political issue, namely the party's national consultative meeting and a presidential cabinet reshuffle. The former industry minister was not satisfied with the war of words between Golkar cadres in the mass media.

Aburizal told him, said Hidayat, that holding the party's national consultation meeting would take place at the soonest by the end of July 2016. Aburizal felt he needed time to reorganize the party after the Supreme Court rejected the lawsuit of Agung Laksono's camp. Hidayat then asked about the government inviting Golkar to join the ruling coalition. In response, Aburizal said that the government could go ahead with the cabinet reshuffle in the near future without any need to wait for the party to decide on its new leadership. "(It's alright to) go ahead without Golkar," said Hidayat last week, quoting Aburizal.