Ferry Iwanto – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called on his coalition partners over the weekend to steer clear of using symbols related to religion or race during the campaign.

Yudhoyono was apparently reacting to criticisms of his wife's failure to wear a Muslim headscarf, or jilbab, every day.

"It is not constructive if we offer political symbols related to ethnic, religious and racial issues, whereas we already passed through [all of those issues] during the development of our state," he said on Saturday.

Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) deputy secretary-general Zulkieflimansyah earlier said that though his party's leadership supported Yudhoyono, a number of supporters could vote for his rivals – Vice President Jusuf Kalla and Wiranto – because their wives wore headscarves daily.

Yudhoyono said people from certain groups were using such issues to seek short-term goals, which were detrimental to the advancement of the nation.

He was accompanied by running mate Boediono when he addressed 2,700 representatives of the Democratic Party and its 24 coalition partners.

He promised to discuss the use of political symbols related to ethnic, religious and racial issues in a closed occasion, in accordance with rules of the General Elections Commission (KPU).

He said that criticism over headscarf use was one of 12 urgent negative issues against his and Boediono's candidacy, including ideology, neo-liberalism, pluralism, competency, leadership, economic growth, foreign debt, budget for the farming sector, infrastructure development and good governance.

Meanwhile, Boediono said his biggest considerations in joining Yudhoyono in the poll race were his familiarity with the president and their similar backgrounds.

"We both come from ordinary, common people," Boediono said. "That can happen only in this country. That's why I would like to repay everything I have to this country by doing my best for the people."

PKS president Tifatul Sembiring and United Development Party (PPP) chairman Suryadharma Ali were in attendance at the gathering. However, Soetrisno Bachir, chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN), was absent.

In a previous leadership meeting in Yogyakarta, PAN's chief patron Amien Rais officially said the party would be on Yudhoyono's side. But Soetrisno has very close ties with Prabowo Subianto from the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), who is now the vice presidential candidate of former President Megawati Sukarnoputri of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).