Kalla insists on challenging Yudhoyono in presidential race

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Despite mounting pressures from within his own ranks to maintain the alliance with the Democratic Party (PD), Golkar Party chairman Jusuf Kalla insisted Tuesday on seeking the presidency by forming a "giant" coalition for the upcoming election.

The negotiating teams of both the Golkar party and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) claim to have agreed to set up a huge coalition with four other parties: The United Development Party (PPP), the National Mandate Party (PAN), the Greater Indonesian Movement (Gerindra) Party and the People’s Conscience Party (Hanura).

“The result of coalition talks will be announced on May 3 at the latest,” Kalla told reporters on Tuesday.

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But the teams are yet to touch on the most sensitive issue of who would be president and who would be vice president.

Golkar secretary-general Sumarsono and his PDI-P counterpart Pramono Anung said after the
meeting that decisions would be made by their respective parties' chairpersons.

Kalla, who is also the Vice President, and PDI-P chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri, have so far met twice but have yet to come to a conclusion on the issue.

Golkar surprised the nation last week when its special leadership meeting nominated Kalla as presidential candidate, giving him the mandate to build a coalition with other parties. The decision came a day after Golkar's coalition talks with Yudhoyono's PD broke down when, so it is rumored, the incumbent President rejected Kalla as his running mate for the July 8 election.

On Monday however, a number of Golkar's provincial heads “forced” Kalla to scale down his presidential bid and resume the partnership with the PD.

They offered six names of vice presidential candidates to pair with Yudhoyono: Akbar Tandjung, Surya Paloh, Aburizal Bakrie, Agung Laksono, Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X and Fadel Muhammad — all senior Golkar cadres.

Responding to this, Kalla told a press conference late Monday that there were “attempts” to shatter harmony within the Golkar.

He refused to elaborate.

Earlier on Monday, Agung, Muladi and Aburizal said Golkar had changed its mind and would again coalesce with the PD in the presidential race.

PD deputy chairman Andi Mallarangeng said Tuesday that doors were still open wide to Golkar.
“We still have plenty of time to make decisions.”

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Meanwhile, political expert Jeffrey Winters from Northwestern University in Chicago, USA said Golkar is providing "world class soap-opera entertainment" with its up-and-down relationship with PD.

“Golkar has been providing high quality entertainment in every general election since the reform era,” he told The Jakarta Post.

“Golkar’s inconsistency shows what the party's true ideology and credo is: ‘Please don’t leave me.’" (hdt/fmb)

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