Anita Rachman – Prosperous Justice Party chairman Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq on Sunday dismissed rumors that the party had issues with other parties in the government coalition, but said the coalition did need better management.

Luthfi said his party, better known as the PKS, had never questioned the coalition itself. What it has done, he said, is criticize the coalition's management and internal communication. He said the PKS had also urged the coalition to have a more visionary agenda.

"We want the coalition to meet regularly, and for all activities to be well planned so there will be no rush," he said. "There are cases where the coalition's secretariat notifies members just one or two days before a meeting, and if you miss it, you are considered to agree with whatever is decided."

The joint secretariat – headed by managing chairman Aburizal Bakrie of the Golkar Party and secretary Syarif Hassan of the Democratic Party – was reputedly set up to "facilitate better communication" between the ruling Democratic Party and its political allies.

Politicians from the PKS and the United Development Party (PPP) have criticized the joint secretariat, saying that its two largest members – the Democrats and Golkar – were dominating the coalition. They cited the example of the government going ahead with the draft bill on Yogyakarta's special status without consulting its coalition partners.

Saan Musthopa, deputy secretary general of the Democratic Party, in response invited the PKS to reconsider its membership if the party was unsure about the benefits of remaining in the coalition.

But Luthfi said: "We are staying [in the coalition]. The joint secretariat is needed, we just need to improve its management." Anis Matta, PKS general secretary, said the coalition must not be allergic to criticism.

A clear policy-making framework is already in place, he said. Policies passing through the joint secretariat must be discussed at three levels: political parties, the cabinet and factions in the legislature. But Anis added that this did not always happen, effectively making the joint secretariat a mere rubber stamp for the government.

"The joint secretariat must serve as the kitchen of the coalition, to serve the people – not just to socialize policies that have already been decided on unilaterally, essentially serving the elite's interests," he said.

Anis added that all policies must be discussed thoroughly with all coalition members. "Look at the case of Yogyakarta's status. We have been discussing it since 2007, but now we are pushed to pass it," he said, referring to the bill that proposes that the governor of the special territory be no longer automatically appointed but elected.

The PKS had said it supports the current practice of automatically appointing the sultan of Yogyakarta as the governor of the territory. "The debate is over now and we are just asked to back down – so much for our credibility as a political party," Anis said.

However, he said there were no structural issues between the PKS and other coalition members, including the Democrats and Golkar. "We are fine," he said.

The Democrats' Saan said that all decisions made by the coalition were always endorsed by all members. But he added that he was hoping for a more solid performance of the joint secretariat next year.

"Not only the format of communication needs improvement, but also its intensity," he said. "But most importantly, we need to build trust among the members of the coalition."