Yudhoyono may be 'too busy' for PKS issue

A politician from the Golkar Party, Agung Laksono, said on Thursday one possible reason the President had not invited the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) to talk about its position in the ruling coalition was because he was too busy.

“Maybe it's because [the President] is busy. Also it might be because the political condition of the country is improving,” Agung, the Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare, said as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

A disagreement between President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party and the Golkar Party and the PKS over a proposed tax graft inquiry at the House of Representatives ended in a threat by the Democratic party to evaluate the latter two parties' membership in the ruling coalition.

Yudhoyono previously met with Golkar chairman Aburizal Bakrie. It was rumored the two talked about Golkar's status in the coalition, but Aburizal denied this. The President is not though to have scheduled a meeting with PKS.

Agung said the condition of the coalition was improving after a decision was made to have a moratorium on internal political bickering.

He said members of the Secretariat Joint Coalition from the six parties in support of the ruling government had met on late Wednesday and agreed on the moratorium and to cease internal attacks.

He said there would be no more disagreements between the parties.