Golkar
Party deputy chairman Agung Laksono dismissed the speculation suggesting
that the meeting between NasDem Party chairman Surya Paloh and
Golkar chairman Aburizal “Ical” Bakrie was a signal of a
potential
political partnership.
Surya
and Ical, who had a history of political rivalry when the two competed
over the Golkar chairman post, looked engaged in a very intense discussion
during a breaking of the fast gathering at NasDem headquarters in
Jakarta on Wednesday.
“That
was just a breaking of the fast gathering, nothing political. They met as fellow Muslims,” Agung, who is
also the coordinating people’s welfare
minister, told journalists at the State Palace.
Surya
was a former Golkar supervisory board chief. In 2009, he lost the
party chairmanship race to Ical.In
2011, he left the party and two years later he was appointed as the
chairman of the NasDem Party.
Agung acknowledged Surya and Ical had shared different
political perspectives. “But maintaining communication is always good
even with a political rival,” he
said.
“Instead of hatred, we should
be engaging in warm communication in line with the Ramadhan spirit.”
The
minister said he did not know if Golkar had been exploring the possibility of a coalition with NasDem.
“But such a
chance, in politics, is always on
the table,” he said. (dic)
