Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – Leaders of the two largest political parties, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party and the Golkar Party, met Thursday amid a series of political incidents seen by many as signs of deteriorating ties between the two parties.
Democratic Party chairman Anas Urbaningrum and Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie said they spoke after lunch at a hotel.
"We often [meet]. The point is to keep the coalition solid as the base of support for the government," Anas told The Jakarta Post via a text message after the meeting. Aburizal agreed, saying, "Members of the ruling coalition routinely hold discussions. There is no hidden agenda."
Top officials from both parties were also at the table, including Golkar secretary-general Idrus Marham and chairman of the party wing in the House of Representatives Setya Novanto, as well as chairman of the Democratic Party wing in the House Jafar Hafsah and secretary of the coalition's joint secretariat, Syarief Hasan.
At the House, Democratic Party spokesman Ruhut Sitompul said Anas and Aburizal discussed the election of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) leader.
Later in the day, former Judicial Commission chairman Busyro Muqqodas won the most votes from the House commission in charge of selecting the KPK leader. Earlier, Golkar had been seen as favoring his rival, antigraft activist Bambang Widjojanto.
Commenting on which candidate the parties favored, Anas said, "that is a matter for the legislators, not us. For the Democratic Party, both candidates are equally capable of leading the KPK."
On Wednesday, Golkar legislators at the House's political affairs commission rejected calls to join Democratic Party legislators in their efforts to prevent politicians from becoming members of the General Election Commission (KPU).
The commission ruled in favor of Golkar against the Democratic Party, which only had the support of the National Mandate Party (PAN). These and other political stances by Golkar have raised questions whether it might lose a seat in Yudhoyono's Cabinet.
Anas and Aburizal on Thursday denied discussing a possible Cabinet reshuffle. "Changing ministers is the President's prerogative," Anas said.
Another thorny issue has been the case of low-ranking tax official Gayus Tambunan, who testified in court that he received US$3 million in fees for his "services" in settling tax cases involving three giant mining companies partly owned by the Bakrie family.
The firms have denied the allegations and also accusations that Gayus met Aburizal in Bali earlier this month. Gayus was spotted by photographers in a wig watching an international tennis tournament, which he has admitted to. Aburizal, however, denied even knowing Gayus. On Wednesday he filed reports against seven news outlets to the Press Council.
Political analyst Burhanuddin Muhtadi from the Indonesian Survey Institute said he believed elites from both parties had made a deal. "The lunch meeting was merely a political symbol. They want to give the impression that no rift remains between the two parties," he said.