Fadel: regional Golkar leaders still prefer coalition with SBY

A number of Golkar Party regional leader has objected party chairman Jusuf Kalla’s decision to abandon a coalition with Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party (PD), a Golkar regional leader said Thursday.

"The Gorontalo region and others from the eastern part of Indonesia still prefer to go with PD, as revealed in our consultation meeting," Golkar's Gorontalo region chairman Fadel Muhammad said on the sidelines of the party's national leaders meeting in Jakarta on Thursday.

"All of the sudden, the central board decided to split with PD, which is a bit rushed. Political process is not easy and there is no need to rush at all," he added.

Earlier, Kalla said that the decision was taken because PD insisted that Golkar proposed more than one vice president candidate for Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) while Kalla's Golkar block wanted to propose only one name, which according to many is the chairman himself.

SBY has stressed that  loyalty is a major factor for his next running mate.  Such quality is seen questionable to be coming from Kalla who has already expressed his ambition to become president during Golkar's campaign rallies in the legislative election.

Fadel said that SBY had every right to determine the criteria for his vice president and to demand more than one name from Golkar.

"During the consultation meeting, we think that it was okay for SBY demanding more than one name. Whether it is 10 or 20," he said.

"And he also have the right to determine his running mate criteria because his party won the legislative election. I think Golkar must respect such fact," he added.(hdt)