SBY told to stay away from Golkar's internal matters

Golkar Party executives urged President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Wednesday to respect Golkar as an independent institution and not to intervene in the party's political stance.

Yudhoyono expressed his regrets over Golkar Party Chairman Jusuf Kalla's statement during the party's national congress, which said that Golkar should become an opposition in the future.

Kalla also said that the party should not act like beggars to get positions in the government.

Yudhoyono considered Kalla's statement premature.

A Golkar executive, Hajriyanto Tohari, said the president had gone too far.

"Everybody in the party is entitled to deliver his or her opinion about the party's future stance during the congress. No one else outside the party has the right to intervene," he said on Wednesday.

Hajriyanto's colleague, Pompida Hidayatullah, said that he was shocked to hear the president's reaction.

"He should not intervene, because Pak (Mr.) Kalla's statement is related to the party's internal matters," he said.

"I also believe that there has been a misunderstanding. What Pak Kalla meant during his speech was that Golkar should become an independent power," he added.(hdt)