JAKARTA: Indian Cabinet minister Airlangga Hartarto’s shock withdrawal as president of Golkar, one of the region’s biggest political parties, has sparked debate he is under investigation for graft.
Mr. Airlangga stated in a cryptic video statement on Sunday ( Aug 11 ) that he is stepping down” to ensure the stability of the government transition that will take place soon” to maintain the integrity of the Golkar party.
Ahmad Doli Kurnia, the deputy chairman of Golkar, claimed that Mr. Airlangga should concentrate on carrying out his duties as Indonesia’s monetary affairs coordinating minister and that he freely and without any external coercion resigned to maintain party solidarity.
” Because there are so many schemes prepared as follow-up initiatives to preserve the consistency of the vision and mission under Jokowi-Ma’ruf Amin … in the future with Mr Prabowo and Mr Gibran”, he explained, as quoted by information site Kompas.com.  ,
On October 20, former presidents Joko Widodo and Ma’ruf Amin may succeed evil president-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka as interim defense ministers Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka. Mr Gibran is even Mr Widodo’s older brother.
Golkar, the country’s oldest party, came in second in February’s legislative elections with 15.29 per cent of the vote, behind the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle ( PDI-P) ( 16.72 per cent ) and ahead of the Great Indonesia Movement Party or Gerindra ( 13.22 per cent ).
Knocked IN A Problem CASE
Mr Airlangga’s sudden departure has led to speculation in Indonesia’s social circles.
According to an investigation by Tempo on Monday, Mr. Airlangga was forced to resign over alleged links to corruption in the Ministry of Trade’s 2021 and 2022 negotiations to obtain export permits for crude palm oil ( CPO ) and its derivatives. Indonesia was experiencing a lack of cooking fuel at the time, and deliveries were slowed.
More than seven unnamed Golkar leaders told the outlet that Mr Airlangga, 61, has been summoned for questioning by the Attorney General’s Office ( AGO ) on Tuesday.
The AGO had formerly interrogated Mr. Airlangga as a witness in the case in July of last year. According to a report released last year by The Jakarta Post, five persons, including a senior official from the industry ministry, have been imprisoned for plotting to get grants to import crude palm oil and its derivatives improperly from January 2021 to March 2022.
However, the AG O’s Legal Information Centre head, Mr Harli Siregar, told local media outlet Disway on Monday there are no plans to summon Airlangga in the near future.
Mr. Harli even refuted Mr. Airlangga’s claim that he is a believe in the AGO.