REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Law and Human Rights Ministry could be taken to the State Administrative Court (PTUN) if it approved one of the conflicting factions of the Golkar Party, chief of the party's tribunal Muladi has warned.
"If the Law and Human Rights Ministry approves (one of them), it must be ready to face a lawsuit at the PTUN," he said here on Wednesday.
Muladi noted he would not interfere in the ministry's steps to decide the legitimacy of one of the factions, but suggested it should await the court settlement of the conflict.
"It is up to the Law and Human Rights Ministry. I will not meddle in it. But to be sure, I suggest the conflict must be settled through the party's tribunal before referring it to the court. If there is an executive channel, it is up to the ministry to decide," he explained.
Discussions should be held to reach an agreement between the factions and settle the dualism conflict. If the conflict cannot be settled through the party's tribunal, it must be referred to the court, he emphasized.
The Golkar Party has been split between two factions, with Aburizal Bakrie leading one faction based on his election at the party's congress in Bali and another faction led by Agung who was elected at the party's Jakarta congress later.
Aburizal's attempt to win legitimacy through court has been rejected by the West Jakarta district court, while Agung's similar attempt was turned down by the Central Jakarta district court.
The two factions then tried to settle their dispute internally through the party tribunal.
On Tuesday evening, the party tribunal decided in favor of the Agung Laksono faction. Although the decision has been final, it has not resolved the conflict.
Earlier, the ministry refused to approve one of the factions before the party tribunal decided it through an internal mechanism.
The ministry still recognizes the 2009-2014 executive board, which was formed during the Riau congress, with Aburizal Bakrie as party chairman, Agung Laksono as deputy chairman, and Idris Marham as secretary-general.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Agung Laksono faction reported the party tribunal's decision to the ministry for approval.
