Golkar's board of experts chairman Agung Laksono has responded to a circulating rumor surrounding the possibility of Hutomo Mandala Putra, or Tommy Soeharto, running in the 2019 presidential election, asserting that the party remained committed to supporting Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in the election.

Agung admitted that several Golkar cadres had attempted to propose Tommy as a presidential candidate, but their attempts, Agung claimed, had failed.

“These proposals repeatedly failed to get the party’s support during nomination events such as conventions. So all this time, Golkar has never proposed him as a presidential candidate,” Agung said as quoted by tribunnews.com on Tuesday.

He said that in supporting presidential candidates, the Golkar Party always considered a candidate’s electability and track record. This also applies to Tommy, the son of former president Soeharto.

Agung said Tommy could run for president with support from other political parties. Golkar, he said, would not stop him from doing so.

However, Agung encouraged Tommy, as a member of the Golkar Party, to follow the party’s decisions.

“As a cadre, if he [Tommy] is interested in becoming a candidate, he must be active, because he has potential. If he wants such a candidacy, he should have been active in the central executive board and with Golkar activities from the very beginning. Only with such things can internal trust for his nomination can be built,” said Agung. (dis/ebf)