Dicky Christanto and Adianto P. Simamora, THE JAKARTA POST, JAKARTA | Sat, 04/25/2009 10:32 AM
Cozying-up: Golkar Party chairman Jusuf Kalla and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri (shaking hands) pose for a photo after they met for coalition talks at the latter’s residence in Central Jakarta on Friday. Among senior party officials in attendance were PDI-P secretary-general Pramono Anung (left), Golkar chief patron Surya Paloh (center) and his PDI-P counterpart Taufik Kiemas (second right, partially obscured). JP/J. ADIGUNA
Golkar Party leader Jusuf Kalla is now spending time forging a coalition to challenge President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the July election.
Amid his state duties as the Vice President on Friday, Kalla met his Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle counterpart Megawati Soekarnoputri for the first time since he broke away from Yudhoyono's Democratic Party.
A few hours before attending a cabinet meeting which was led by the President, Kalla received People's Conscience (Hanura) Party leader Wiranto for coalition talks.
Kalla is courting other parties that will win seats in the House of Representatives, including the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party.
A one hour meeting between Kalla and Megawati at her residence in Menteng, Central Jakarta, had no concrete results, but their commitment to a coalition was quite clear.
"This meeting is leading to a coalition and the meeting will not stop here. It will be followed by technical meetings by small teams from the two parties in the near future," Kalla told a press conference.
This time, small teams comprising executives from the two parties were tasked to discuss the follow up to the idea of coalition, including the structure of the coalition and a strategy for power sharing.
Top political figures present included Theo Syafei,Panda Nababan, Pramono Anung and Effendy Simbolon who were among those from the PDI-P side that were involved in the follow up discussion.
However Megawati warned that the coalition should be discussed in a deliberate and comprehensive manner as the two parties were actually in different starting positions.
"PDI-P is an opposition party while Golkar is a party supporting the incumbent government. Thus we should discuss the will to form a coalition without jeopardizing the current government,"she said.
When asked about who should be named as the presidential and vice presidential candidate in this coalition, both Megawati and Kalla refused to give direct answers.
Both Kalla and Megawati had previousy met and expressed their willingness to form a 'Golden Triangle coalition' together with the United Development Party (PPP), but made no progress at that time.
Panda, who attended the Friday meeting, said the issue of presidential candidates was not tabled yet.
"The meeting focused on how to find solid ground for both parties in deliberating the coalition as well as to avoid jeopardizing the incumbent administration which Golkar is part of right now. This is solely for the sake of people," he said.
Kalla and Wiranto met for a closed-door talk which lasted an hour at the Golkar office on Jl. Ki Mangunsarkoro in Menteng.
“The two parties reached an agreement to build an ideal coalition that would be supported by a strong parliament to run the government,” Hanura secretary general Yus Usman Sumanegara said after the meeting.
He said that the ideal alliance could be reached if other parties mainly the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and the Great Indonesian Movement (Gerindra) Party joined forces.
He said that the coalition has yet to discuss who would be candidates for president and vice president.
The two party’s leaders also discussed violations and infringements in the recent legislative
elections.
Golkar nominated Wiranto the presidential candidate in 2004 election, but lost in the first round.
