'Just call me the real vice president', says Kalla

Adianto P. Simamora ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Fri, 11/28/2008 9:19 PM  |  Headlines

As presidential hopefuls jockey for position on the 2009 election slates, Vice President Jusuf Kalla has declined to be dubbed the real president, standing firmly behind President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

"I prefer to be called 'JK, the real Vice President' because what I do is assist the president in running the government, as the Constitution states," he told reporters Friday.

Kalla said his hard work is intended to help the President safeguard government policies and put them into practice.

Former Muhammadiyah chair Syafii Ma'rif earlier referred to Kalla as the country's real president because of his achievements in ending conflicts in several areas, including Aceh.

Kalla said, however, it was Yudhoyono who had agreed to create peace in the conflict areas across the country.

"Because the President agreed to bring peace, I worked to make it happen.

"Everything I do is based on decisions made in cabinet meetings," he said.

Yudhoyono and Kalla were elected together during the country's first direct presidential election in 2004, defeating the incumbent President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Kalla was then elected chair of the Golkar Party, which controls 128 of the 550 seats in the House of Representatives.

Experts said that once Kalla headed Golkar, his bargaining position in the government became stronger, causing ups and downs in his relationship with his boss.

The Golkar party has asked Yudhoyono several times to reshuffle his cabinet to make more ministerial posts available to Golkar operatives.

Golkar party members with cabinet seats after the reshuffles are Justice and Human Rights Minister Andi Mattalata and State Minister for National Development Planning Paskah Suzetta.

Syafii's comments come only seven months before the presidential elections on July.

Yudhoyono, who ranks as the favorite candidate in several polls, has said he plans to run again in the 2009 elections. He has hinted at pairing up again with Kalla.

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