DEMOCRATIC PARTY TRIES TO RESTORE IMAGE FOR GENERAL ELECTIONS 2014 by Fardah

  Jakarta, Feb 15, 2013 (Antara) -  For the ruling Democratic Party, it was like a wake-up call when the media recently published the  result of a survey conducted by Saiful Mujani Research Center showing that its electability dropped to just 8 percent.

          Earlier, in October 2012, a survey by the Political Weather Station (PWS) put the Golkar Party on the top of its list of most popular parties, while the Democratic Party was in the fourth place.

         According the survey, Golkar's electability stood at 19.71 percent, followed by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggles (PDI-P) 16.72 percent, Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party's 10.84 percent, the Democratic Party only 6.91 percent, which was only slightly higher than the 6.07 percent of the newly established Nasdem Party.

         As Indonesia is gearing up for general elections next year, the leadership of the Democratic Party has realized that the party needs to catch up by carrying out internal consolidation and restructuring.  
   Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who founded the party about a decade ago, has announced that the party's leadership should be restructured in order to improve the party's image following corruption cases against some of the party's high profile politicians such as Muhammad Nazaruddin (the party's former treasurer), Angelina Sondakh (the
party's former deputy secretary general), and Hartati Murdaya (one of the party's executives). 
   Yudhoyono, who has been holding the presidential seat for the second term, announced on February 8, 2013 that he would take the reins of his Democratic Party's leadership to restore its tainted image and to save the party from falling deeper.

         He temporarily relieved the party's general chairman Anas Urbaningrum from his duties to allow Anas to focus on legal problem concerning the alleged graft case of Hambalang sport center currently being investigated by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

         Anas Urbaningrum was summoned twice by the anti graft body (KPK) for questioning over the allegations. He has been implicated in graft cases by his former colleague, Muhammad Nazaruddin,  but apparently KPK has not found enough evidence to name him a suspect.

        Yudhoyono's move was hailed by Yos Soedarso Mardjuni, the chairman of the forum of all South Sulawesi branch executive boards (DPC) of the Democratic Party.

         "We did not expect SBY (Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono) would take such as decision. It is a smart solution to improve the electability of the party," Mardjuni said in Palu, on February 9, 2013.

          Under the circumstance, it is best for the party that Yudhoyono has taken over control especially on matters of strategic policy while giving opportunity for Anas to concentrate on corruption allegations against him.

        Following Yudhoyono's move, his second son, Edhie "Ibas" Baskoro Yudhoyono, who is holding the position as the Secretary General of the Democratic Party, has decided to resign from the House of Representatives (DPR), so he could fully focus on working for his party.

        "I officially resign as a member of the Parliament. I want to concentrate on carrying out my duties as the party's secretary general that will consume more energy and time in the future," Ibas said in a press conference at the Parliament Building on February 14, 2013.

        According to Ibas, for the next one and half year, his duties as the Democratic Party's secretary general would be heavier because of the upcoming general elections in 2014. 
   With the general chairman Anas Urbaningrum being non-active, the bulk of the managerial duties falls on him as the secretary general of the party. 
   "I know the chairman of the party's Supreme Council as the country's president could not give his time too much to reassemble  and revive the party," Ibas said on Thursday. Therefore, he has to make his resignation from the parliament.

          "I personally is facing various serious challenges especially saving the party whose electability has declined," he said.

          As a secretary general he said he had to help the chairman of the party's supreme council and the party's general chairman to put the party's house in order, cleanse and consolidate the party.

         He said he certainly had to work hard and take the responsibility to save the party.

         He apologized to the people who had voted for him in the  2009 legislative election for Est Java electoral region. He also thanked his constituents for their support and cooperation so far.

         The party's supreme council recently issued an integrity pact as another step to save the party.  All party's executives and officials are obliged to sign the integrity pact forms.

         "Today several central executive board members and I sign the integrity pact, which is the continuation of the pact's signing on February 10," Anas Urbaningrum said at the office of the party's executive board on February 14, 2013.

          He said the signing was confirmation of the commitment of all cadres to the party's idealism and ethics.

          The party's advisory board deputy chairman Marzuki Alie said the signing of the pact is to demonstrate the party's cadres commitment to its character and mandate which is a clean party.

         Alie, concurrently the House Speaker, also explained that the taking over of the party's chairmanship did not mean a dismissal of Anas Urbaningrum from the post. 
     "I can assure you that there has never been any discourse so far or talks on replacing the present general chairman," he said at the Parliament building on February 14, 2013.

          He also denied rumors that Anas would be replaced by Pramono Edi Wibowo, the current army chief of staff and Yudhoyono's brother in law, or Mahfud MD, the Supreme Court chief justice, saying it was completely a lie.

        Founded on September 9, 2001, the Democratic party won 7.5 percent share of votes and won 57 out of 560 seats of People's Representative Council in the 2004 legislative election.

        For the presidential elections, the party's candidate, Yudhoyono won the first round of elections in July 2004 with 33.6 percent of the votes and later 60.1 percent in the run-offs and thereby securing Yudhoyono's election as President.

         In the 2009 legislative elections, the Democratic Party was the big winner, collecting 20.85 percent of the national vote. Incumbent Yudhoyono won the presidential election with a total tally of 60.8 percent in first round of runoff system election. ***1***
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