TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Vice President Ma'ruf Amin opined that Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Luhut Pandjaitan should not have utilized governmental office for holding a meeting related to political party affairs.

“Yes, for political purposes, [Luhut] should not have used state office,” said Ma'ruf at his office, Jakarta, Wednesday, December 4.

Ma'ruf said the government officials are not allowed to intervene in the interest of political parties. Issues on a party should have been handed to the related party, he underlined.

The VP viewed that it was possible for political discussions in the office of Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment to occur, given the fact that Luhut is a Golkar Party politician. "The settlement about party affairs must be held in the party internal."

Ahead of Golkar national meeting, the party elites gathered at Luhut’s office on Tuesday afternoon, December 3, including the party chief Airlangga Hartarto, the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) speaker Bambang Soesatyo, and the party supervisory board chair Aburizal Bakrie.

Bambang Soesatyo, Airlangga Hartarto, and Luhut Pandjaitan donned a brown batik shirt, while Aburizal Bakrie arrived at the ministry building wearing a blue shirt. About 30 minutes after the meeting, Bambang Soesatyo announced that he stepped down from the Golkar leadership race.

FRISKI RIANA