JAKRTA. A daughter of former dictator Soeharto, Titiek, said on Thursday that many supporters in the region had demanded that her youngest brother, Tommy Soeharto, take the helm of the Golkar Party and help end the infighting that had divided the party.

"Supporters in the regions have demanded that the Soeharto family, particularly Tommy, take over the party amid the infighting," said Titiek at the House of Representatives.

Golkar was founded by Soeharto and served as his political vehicle to remain in power for more than three decades.

"There is an urgent need for the Soehartos to return and save the party," said the former wife of Gerindra Party patron Prabowo Subianto.

Since December, members of Golkar have been divided between the camps of Aburizal Bakrie and Agung Laksono. Titiek, a Golkar legislator, and Tommy, who was once imprisoned for ordering the murder of a judge, are in the Aburizal camp. (Dylan Amirio)

Editor: Yudho Winarto