Tiarma Siboro and Suherdjoko, Jakarta/Semarang – After failing to win support from the country's major parties, presidential candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his running mate Jusuf Kalla are turning their eyes to other influential nationalist and religious-based parties.
On Friday morning, the pair, who are contesting the presidential election under the banner of the newly established Democratic Party, held a closed-door working breakfast with four members of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS)'s law making body at Kalla's residence in South Jakarta.
During a brief press briefing afterwards, Kalla said the meeting was aimed at stepping up dialog between them on "nationalism issues", as well as "sharing views on the parties' political platforms." "Today's meeting was not the first as we had previously held several meetings to discuss various issues, especially the parties' political platforms.
"We also discussed efforts to create a better Indonesia, including improving the national education system, creating harmonious ties among the followers of different religions, eradicating corruption and maintaining good relations with foreign countries," he said.
Kalla refused, however, to identify the PKS members he had met with, saying that this was at their request. He further said that two other parties, the Amien Rais-led National Mandate Party (PAN) and Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid's National Awakening Party (PKB), had expressed political support for the Susilo-Kalla ticket. "Soon, we will sign a declaration establishing a coalition," Kalla said.
In the April 5 legislative elections, Susilo's Democratic Party came fourth with 56 seats, making it a minority faction in the 550-member House of Representatives.
Susilo had earlier said that his party would only establish a coalition after October 1, pending the results of the September 20 runoff. Analysts criticized Susilo's strategy, saying it would make it difficult for him to govern effectively if he won the presidency.
Susilo's rival in the runoff, President Megawati Soekarnoputri of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), has won fresh support, and formally unveiled a coalition on Thursday.
Megawati's four-party coalition links the three biggest parties in the next House of Representatives plus a minor party, which will jointly account for 307 seats in the 550-member House when it is sworn in October.
The coalition consists of the Golkar Party, which won the most seats in April's national legislative election (127 seats), the Muslim-based United Development Party (PPP-58 seats) and the Christian-orientated Prosperous Peace Party (PDS-13 seats). Megawati's PDI-P itself came second in the election with 109 seats.
If the planned coalition between the Democratic Party and the PKS, PAN and PKB becomes reality, Susilo would have the support of 118 House members.
Separately, PKB chairman Alwi Shihab said the party's central board had yet to decide whether or not it would support Susilo's bid for presidency, but underlined that the PKB's provincial chapters in East Java, South Sulawesi and North Sulawesi had expressed their support for the Susilo-Kalla ticket.
"Our final decision will be made at the national working meeting on August 31. Of course, the three provincial chapters do not represent all of the PKB's 32 branches," Alwi told reporters after joining Susilo at the screening of a film titled Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy, The Battle of Ideas at the Sari Pan Pacific Hotel in Central Jakarta.
The PKS executive board recently said that it would announce its definitive stance "some time before September 20."