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PDI-P, Golkar rethink coalition
The country's two biggest political parties are reviving attempts to establish a coalition for the 2009 presidential race
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The country's two biggest political parties are reviving attempts to establish a coalition for the 2009 presidential race.
Key figures from the Golkar Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) held a rare meeting here Monday to explore the possibility of temporarily linking forces.
PDI-P chief patron Taufik Kiemas led the party's delegation in the meeting with Golkar's national and regional boards of patrons in Ancol, North Jakarta.
Among other PDI-P key figures in attendance were party secretary-general Pramono Anung and deputy chairman Panda Nababan.
On the sidelines of the meeting, they held closed talks Golkar heavyweights led by Vice President and party chairman Jusuf Kalla for almost an hour.
Kalla was accompanied by Golkar chief patron Surya Paloh, House of Representatives Speaker Agung Laksono and deputy party chairman Theo Sambuaga.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was invited to the meeting as chief patron of his Democratic Party, but declined to attend. He instead received Swaziland King Mswasti III at the State Palace and later in the evening attended a closed meeting with his own party's board of patrons.
It was the third meeting between the two largest parties to discuss a coalition in the past two years. Their first meeting was held in Medan, North Sumatra, and the second in Palembang, South Sumatra.
A coalition could pose a serious threat to the alliance between Yudhoyono and Kalla in pursuing re-election together in 2009.
Taufik, the husband of PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri, underlined after the meeting the need for his party and Golkar to establish a coalition for the presidential race before the legislative elections in April next year.
"We have to start it now, because it will be difficult to form a coalition after the (legislative) election," he was quoted as saying by Antara.
Surya Paloh welcomed Taufik's request, saying Golkar needed a strategic alliance with PDI-P.
Theo Sambuaga said the meeting had brought the two parties a step closer to forming a coalition.
"It is not an ordinary gathering. This is a meeting of the country's two biggest parties, so we did talk about the possibility of forming a coalition. But we just think it will be better if we form a coalition after the legislative election," he told The Jakarta Post.
Theo said Golkar needed to know the results of the legislative election before making a commitment to any parties.
Taufik, however, said the PDI-P would announce which parties it would form a coalition with as well as a running mate for Megawati in November.
"Two months is a long time to make a decision," he said.
Political observers have speculated that with Golkar having no figure for presidential nomination next year and with the PDI-P's announcement to nominate Megawati, the PDI-P sees no reason for Golkar to delay a decision on its vice presidential candidate.
Although Taufik said he could not predict which party would win the 2009 election, he expressed optimism that both the PDI-P and Golkar would end up as the big two.
He said it would not automatically be Kalla who would accompany Megawati in the presidential election.
Taufik offered no names after the Monday meeting, but the PDI-P has floated the name of Gorontalo Governor and Golkar senior politician Fadel Muhammad as a possible running mate for Megawati.
Theo agreed that the PDI-P was the most suitable partner for Golkar, as both parties have the same platforms as nationalist parties committed to democracy and social welfare.
