Members of the Golkar Party remain split on whether to keep pushing for a  coalition with the Democratic Party by promoting a running mate for Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono or to push their own presidential hopeful to run for election.

Golkar's deputy chairman Marzuki Darusman said the decision to drop coalition talks with the Democrats as announced Wednesday did not represent the party's final stance.

“It is a temporary political statement. The final stance will be made in the party’s leaders meeting on Thursday,” he said.

He said the plan to form a new coalition was also a personal opinion from Golkar chairman Jusuf Kalla.

“We fully respect Kalla’s position as party chairman. But there are many opinions within our party that the chairman is not the same with Golkar,” said Marzuki, who supports the  candidacy of  former party chairman Akbar Tandjung as running mate for Yudhoyono.

The Golkar leaders' meeting with heads of its provincial chapters will be held Thursday to discuss the party’s stance in July's presidential  elections.

The meeting was slated to discuss whether Kalla will be promoted as presidential candidate and the coalition with potential political parties.

On Wednesday, Golkar's executive said they had dropped the planned coalition with Yudhoyono’s Democratic Party after the two failed to reach an agreement on the vice presidential candidate.

The negotiating team representing Golkar had proposed a single candidate, Kalla, to be paired again with Yudhoyono but it was then rejected by the Democratic party.

Former chairman Akbar said the party needed to propose more than one candidate to allow Yudhoyono to pick the “best” hopefuls.

“I am ready to be nominated for vice presidential post from the Golkar party. The problem is does the Golkar want to promote me, or does the Democratic Party also consider me as the most suitable figure to accompany Yudhoyono,” he said in Pekalongan, Central Java, as quoted by Antara.

Golkar's senior lawmaker Priyo Budi Santoso said  there were still chances for reviewing coalition talks with the Democratic Party as the two parties share an equal ideology.

“It's  politics,  one can change their mind in a day, an hour or  minutes,” he said.

However he said Golkar could also form a new coalition with other parties which rank lower on the ongoing tallies, such as the  Gerindra and Hanura, parties set up by retired officers, respectively Prabowo Subianto and Wiranto. (hdt)

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