Golkar Should Remain the Opposition

There has been quite a buzz over the recent appearance of Golkar Party's two disputing camps at the State Palace. The visit of Aburizal Bakrie and Agung Laksono, both of whom claim to be the rightful Golkar chairman, should not be seen as a sign of President Joko Widodo's mastery of national politics. In fact, if he is not careful, Jokowi can get sucked into the morass of the vicious influence of the political oligarchs surrounding him.

The origins of the Golkar conflict can be traced back to the presidential election campaign two years ago. At the time, Aburizal offered Gerindra Party Chairman Prabowo Subianto to be a candidate for the presidency. After its nominee lost, Golkar opted to be a balancing power by staying outside the government. With a number of other parties backing Prabowo, Golkar became the main engine of the opposition, the Red and White Coalition.