“We have been fighting hand in hand together for so long. We won’t, after decades of marriage, split up just because of politics. If that happens, wouldn’t it be absurd?” he said at the House of Representatives in Jakarta on Thursday.

Speculation was rife recently that the marriage of Taufik and Megawati could be in strife following differences about whether their party should join the Democratic Party coalition or not.

Taufik said in the past that he would allow members of his party to become ministers in the next Cabinet, should President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono offer them positions.

His statements were announced as soon as Yudhoyono’s Democratic Party successfully endorsed him to become the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) speaker.

On the other hand, Megawati has been famously known as a firm believer that it is more noble and profitable for the PDI-P to play the role of the opposition and not join the next presidential Cabinet.

Taufik firmly believed his wife would eventually allow any PDI-P member to become a minister.

“I really believe that she will take the offer into deep consideration if it is received from the President.

She will put the good of the nation at the top of her list of priorities and allow the chosen member to become a minister,” he said.

“However, at the end of the day, the final decision will come from the chairwoman. There is no room for dual leadership, according to Mbak Mega. Dynamics do exist, but if her decision says ‘A’ then we will do ‘A’,” he added.

Taufik also said that should the party join Yudhoyono’s bloc, it did not mean the party would cease it’s criticism of the government.

“We will remain critical. If the government’s policies are good, then we will support them. Being critical does not mean that we consistently oppose any government policy,” he said.

Meanwhile, Democratic Party secretary general Marzuki Alie said political cooperation did not always mean the estalishment of a coalition.

“We can still work together with the PDI-P, even if the party chooses to form an opposition,” he said.
Marzuki said cooperation between his party and the PDI-P was evident during House meetings, which he leads as the legislative body speaker.

“Both parties can always find an amicable settlement for any issue being disputed,” he said.
Separately, a political analyst from the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI), Burhanuddin Muhtadi, told

The Jakarta Post he suspected the fragmented situation displayed by the PDI-P was part of a political ruse by Taufik and Megawati to increase their bargaining power with Yudhoyono.

“The PDI-P hopes that SBY [Yudhoyono] will give them more Cabinet seats after Megawati’s statement, that the party should maintain its opposition stance,” he said.

“That is why their plenary session decided that their final stance would be decided within the next three to five days. The PDI-P is waiting to see if Yudhoyono will offer them more seats. If he does not accommodate them, then the PDI-P will once again form an opposition,” he added. (hdt)

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