Observer Predicts Golkar's Breakaway Faction Will Make New Party

Kupang, E Nusa Tenggara (Antara) - The current rift within the Golkar Party will most likely create a breakaway faction, leading to the formation of a new political party after its national congress in Bali on November 30, an observer said. "The new party will likely be set up by cadres who have felt sidelined, a similar scenario that took place in the cases of Surya Paloh, Wiranto, and Prabowo Subanto," political observer Ahmad Atang of the University of Muhammadiyah in Kupang, said here on Thursday. Surya Paloh launched the National Democrat Party (NasDem), while Wiranto formed the People's Conscience Party (Hanura), and Prabowo founded the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra). "These splinter parties attracted the Golkar's potential cadres," Atang noted while speaking about the likelihood of a new party breaking away from the Golkar after its congress. He observed that although the Golkar, with its large number of capable cadres, created an impression of a solid party, it was not mature enough to resolve its differences regarding the regeneration of its leadership. "It should not happen that the congress this time gives birth to a new party by those who are sidelined, as the splinter party can absorb the potential cadres of the Golkar," Atang remarked. (*)