Indonesian minister’s shock resignation as Golkar party chairman sparks speculation over links to palm oil graft case

JAKARTA: Indonesian Cabinet minister Airlangga Hartarto’s shock resignation as chairman of Golkar, one of the country’s biggest political parties, has sparked speculation he is under investigation for graft.
In a cryptic video statement on Sunday (Aug 11), Mr Airlangga said he is stepping down “to maintain the integrity of the Golkar party, in order to ensure the stability of the government transition that will occur in the near future”.
Golkar’s deputy chairman Ahmad Doli Kurnia said Mr Airlangga resigned voluntarily and without external coercion to maintain party solidarity, and needs to concentrate on fulfilling his duties as Indonesia’s coordinating minister for economic affairs.
“Because there are so many programmes prepared as follow-up programmes to maintain the continuity of the vision and mission under Jokowi-Ma’ruf Amin … in the future with Mr Prabowo and Mr Gibran,” he explained, as quoted by news site Kompas.com. 
Incumbent defence minister Prabowo Subianto and vice president-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka will take over on Oct 20 from current president Joko Widodo and Mr Ma’ruf Amin. Mr Gibran is also Mr Widodo’s older son.
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).
Mr Airlangga’s unexpected resignation has led to speculation in Indonesia’s political circles.
Investigative media outlet Tempo reported on Monday that Mr Airlangga was forced to resign for alleged links to corruption in securing export permits for crude palm oil (CPO) and its derivatives, which rocked the Ministry of Trade in 2021 and 2022. At the time, Indonesia was experiencing a shortage of cooking oil and shipments were restricted.
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.
Mr Airlangga was previously questioned as a witness by the AGO on the case in July last year. Five people including a high-ranking trade ministry official have been jailed for conspiring to secure permits to export crude palm oil and its derivatives illegally from January 2021 to March 2022, The Jakarta Post reported last year.
However, the AGO’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 also denied the AGO has named Mr Airlangga as a suspect.
Mr Airlangga’s position is said to have become vulnerable due to political manoeuvring by fellow Golkar politicians and Cabinet colleagues, Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia and Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita.
Both men are said to be strong candidates to replace Mr Airlangga, and their manoeuvres reportedly received the blessing of Mr Widodo, according to Tempo, which cited the party’s top brass. Neither has responded to claims of manoeuvring.
Mr Bahlil on Monday said he has not received any instructions from Mr Widodo on the possibility of him becoming acting chairman of Golkar.
“No such thing. I’m not in Golkar’s administrative council, so it’s up to Golkar’s internal deliberation,” he said, as quoted by Antara news agency.
If Mr Bahlil becomes party chairman, Mr Widodo will have the opportunity to head Golkar’s advisory board, according to Tempo.
Earlier this year, there had been talk that joining Golkar could be a way for Mr Widodo to maintain political influence post-presidency, as his ties with the PDI-P have soured and he is no longer with the party.
Mr Widodo’s senior aide Ari Dwipayana brushed aside speculation of the president’s meddling in Golkar’s internal affairs, saying it “has nothing to do with the president”, Jakarta Globe reported Monday.