T

he Democratic Party chairman, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, has called on Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan and State-Owned Enterprises Minister Dahlan Iskan not to compromise their work in the Cabinet following the two ministers'€™ decision to participate in the Democratic Party convention.

Many have seen the message as a veiled order for them to resign from the Cabinet.

Democratic Party executive chairman Syariefuddin Hasan quoted the President as saying that he was concerned about Gita'€™s and Dahlan'€™s participation in the party'€™s convention.

'€œI am a party executive and minister. I know that I have been struggling to deal with party businesses without compromising my ministerial duties,'€ said Syariefuddin, who is also the Cooperative and Small and Medium Enterprises minister.

He warned both Dahlan and Gita about the challenges they faced. '€œTaking part in the convention could take up even more of their time, because it will require intensive campaigning,'€ he said.

Syariefuddin, however, was noncommittal when asked if Gita and Dahlan should resign or take leave. '€œThat is solely the President'€™s call,'€ he said.

Dahlan, however, rebuffed the call for him to resign.

'€œI won'€™t conduct any form of campaign until the entire convention is concluded,'€ he told journalists, suggesting that his participation would not compromise his current work. '€œI will be working as a minister very well. Good work is also a good campaign.'€

Dahlan also denied that he had formed a campaign team to help him with the convention. '€œThere is a team, but it was not my initiative,'€ Dahlan said.

Gita earlier said that he was ready to resign from his ministerial post if the President thought that his participation in the race compromised his work as a minister.

Gita, however, said he would only make a decision only after he heard directly from the President.

Democratic Party deputy chairman Max Sopacua said Gita and Dahlan should resign from their Cabinet positions.

'€œIf you want to run in the convention, you will have a busy campaign schedule because you must promote yourselves to the people,'€ he said.

Dahlan and Gita, along with nine other prominent figures, are slated to participate in the party'€™s presidential convention.

Other participants include Paramadina University rector Anies Baswedan, Regional Representatives Council (DPD) Speaker Irman Gusman, Democratic Party senior lawmaker Hayono Isman, former Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen. (ret) Endriartono Sutarto, House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker Marzuki Alie, former Army chief of staff/Yudhoyono'€™s brother-in-law Gen. (ret) Pramono Edhie Wibowo, North Sulawesi Governor Sinyo Harry Sarundajang, Indonesian Ambassador to the US Dino Patti Djalal and Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) commissioner Ali Masykur Musa.

The Democratic Party has commissioned three survey institutes to conduct opinion polls to gauge the popularity of the prospective candidates.

Findings from the survey are expected to be announced in May next year, shortly after the general election.

Many political analysts doubt that the convention will produce credible candidates for the 2014 presidential election, suspecting that the convention was a smoke screen to cover up a machination that would end up picking Pramono as the winner.