News Focus: PKS remains in coalition

After a state of uncertainty in the controversial appointment of Bank Indonesia Governor Budiono as Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's running mate, a deadlock in communication with his coalition partners, especially the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), was eventually overcome.



A direct meeting between Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono who is currently the incumbent president of Indonesia and some leaders of the Prosperous Justice Party at a hotel in Bandung this evening has succeeded in convincing PKS in maintaining its coalition with the Democratic Party, thus supporting the SBY-Budiono ticket in the upcoming presidential race in July 8, 2009.

PKS President Tifatul Sembiring in Bandung on Friday a few moment before the declaration of duo SBY-Budiono said his party would remain maintaining its coalition with the Democratic Party.

A clear-cut communication with SBY had actually dampened the spirit of the party's executives to abandon the coalition with the democratic party.

"What we need is only a direct communication with the coalition partners. Eventually we can finalize coalition negotiations ahead of July's presidential election," he said.

Earlier, PKS Secretary General Anis Matta on Thursday said his party would pursue another alternative coalition if the talks with Yudhoyono's camp to overcome the problem ended in a failure.

However Boediono's candidacy has created a havoc within PD's block of coalition parties, which includes PKS.

"What we deplore much is not the appointment of Boediono as running mate, but it is more focused on the lack of communication that has been built," he said.

According to him, all along Yudhoyono had heralded his partnership with the political parties that supported him. But as time went by, Yudhoyoho eventually abandoned his commitment by making a strategic decision on his own.

The PKS would decide what further steps it would take independently and without the influence of other political parties, he said.

"But if the problem remains unsolved beyond the limits of our tolerance, PKS will immediately pursue an alternative coalescing course which we have already prepared," Anis Matta said.

Asked what the alternative course was, Matta said it would be revealed in the next few days.

He added that PKS had made intensive political communication with other parties such as with the Megawati Soekarnoputri-Parabowo camp as well as the Jusuf Kalla-Wiranto camp.

According to Anis Matta, PKS might form a new bloc with other political parties or switch its support to the Jusuf Kalla-Wiranto pair.

"We respect Jusuf Kalla because he is consistent in running for the presidency although based on surveys he is an 'underdog," Matta said.

Another PKS faction chairman Mahfudz Siddiq on Thursday said that if the talks with SBY ended in failure, an alternative coalition might emerge following the disappointment of the political parties that have aligned themselves with the Democratic Party (PD), Mahfudz said.

Two of the parties in the coalition, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and the United Development Party (PPP), have expressed their disappointment.

The main reason for their disappointment is the lack of communication from the PD in determining Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's running mate in the July presidential election.

"The PD never talked to us and all of a sudden, Boediono emerges as the vice-presidential candidate for SBY," Anis Matta said on Tuesday.

With the solution reached in a direct meeting in Bandung between SBY and PKS on Friday evening, Matta said a lack of communication could be overcome. "There is no problem any more, because what we need is only such openness and transparency in building the coalition."

Practically disappointment which gripped PKS in the past few days had eventually gone with the wind. "There is no need to blow up the past controversy anymore," he said.

In the meantime, SBY in his declaration speech on Friday evening said the appointment of Budiono as his running mate in the presidential race later was done after learning Budiono's achievement in the past eight years.

In addition to being a noted economist, Budiono is a low profile and clean figure who has a great deal of experiences in the government.

Budiono's dedication could be seen from the works he had handled since the ruling of Megawati up to that of Yudhoyono's government.

According to SBY, Budiono would be able to help him in developing this country in many respects, as he was a capable and clean man who disliked corruption.

"The cabinet is a place for work and not for politics. I think Budiono is the right man for post of vice presidency," SBY said in his speech.

Meanwhile, Dr Sofyan Siregar, a political analyst currently a roving lecturer of the Islamic University of North Sumatra said that the Democratic Party should actually learn from Golkar party.

In building coalition with its partner, Golkar put it in the form of a coalition document, the procedure of which really convinces its coalition partners.

"But on the other way round, the coalition with the Democratic Party is only in the form of discourse. There is no a guaranty that the coalition can be maintained," he said.

"It is because of this condition, it seems that the appointment of Budiono without discussing it first with coalition parties is deemed as an act of dishonor by the coalition parties. Practically, what has happened is just a lack of communication," Sofyan said.

On one side, the Democratic Party thought it is the right of SBY to appoint his running mate for the presidential race later, as his party has tallied over 20 percent amid a vacuum of coalition agreement.

On the other hand, coalition parties saw that SBY took no notice of the procedure in building coalition with other parties, as whatever to be taken should be discussed with coalition partners if transparency should be upheld, Sofyan said. (*)